When I was a freshman in high school I remember a conversation I had with my youth pastor. He said "I can't wait until I'm 30." By which I was really confused. 1) Because 30 seemed like 100 years away and really old and 2) who wants to get older?? So naturally I asked why?
And he said something like "As you get older, you become wiser. Just think how wise I will be when I'm 30!"
And that stuck with me. (I'm sure he has no recollection of this conversation, but it clearly had an impact on me.) So here I am. Today. On my 30th birthday. And I, too, approached this day with anticipation. I can say with fair certainly that I am indeed wiser, more mature, more seasoned than I was 10 years ago. And certainly more so than when I had that conversation at the age of 14. I've learned a lot of things, some of which the hard way, over the last three decades. And for that, I'm thankful for 30. Thankful for all the life experiences I've had. It feels good to have a few more "grown-up years" under my belt.
Now I can only image how wise I'll be at 40. But that's, like, 100 years away. I don't need to think about that now.
Showing posts with label ashley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ashley. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Perfectionist ... reborn
In December 2000, about 6 months after I received my drivers license, I was in my first car accident. I was driving too fast on slippery roads and I didn't see the cars stopped in front of me. I hit the brakes, slid, swerved and ultimately rear ended the car in front of me. We all walked (and drove) away and no one was hurt. Well, at least not physically. Emotionally, I was a wreck! I was embarrassed. Ashamed. Guilty! My Dad, bless his heart, said very little. He didn't yell. He didn't punish. But I knew he was disappointed. And that killed me. Later that evening, some friends called and invited me to a movie. And I distinctly remember saying "I can't. I have to stay home." My dad, overhearing the conversation asked "Why aren't you going?"
Was he crazy? Did he forget so quickly the terrible thing I had just done? I can't go out! And then I realized what happened...
I had grounded myself.
I had grounded myself.
[fast forward 12 years]
This evening as we were tucking Brooks into bed and praying, he was goofing around and playing with his slinky. I quietly took it away and reminded him to show respect to Jesus while we were praying. We finished and as Chris and I were leaving his room, Brooks runs to the door and says "Wait! We need to finish praying!"
We did finish praying, buddy.
"No, we didn't! We have to finish praying."
Again, we replied. Yes, we did finish praying. You just weren't paying attention.
He was quite adamant that we forgot to finish praying. And despite us telling him several times that we did, and that he simply wasn't paying attention, he insisted we pray again. So we did. And said good-night.
Five minutes later we hear Brooks crying in his room. Chris goes to check on him and he says "Daddy! I'm sad that I didn't pay attention when we prayed."
It's ok, buddy. Would you like to pray again now?
He did. Brooks said a quick prayer and then gave his slinky to Chris and said "I shouldn't play with this anymore, should I?" Chris told him he could have it, now that we were done praying. Then Brooks said, "No. I shouldn't play with this. You take this downstairs."
And that, is how my son punished himself.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
10 years ago
10 years and 3 months ago I started my freshman year at North Central University. I went on a tour of downtown Minneapolis with the girls on my floor and the boys on our brother floor and met Chris Anderson for the first time ... and the second time ... and the third time. (I could not remember that boys name.)
Despite my lack of memory for cute Montana boys' names, I developed a nice little crush. You know the "he always walks this hallway after class so I think I'll just happen to walk down this hallway too" kinda crush. And over the next three months we spent time talking, "bumping" into each other, getting to know each other. (ok, it was more like me stalking him and he not freaking out and running in the opposite direction. Same thing, right?)
10 years and 2 weeks ago he finally gathered the nerve to ask this girl out on a date. I. was. ecstatic.
10 years and 1 week ago we went on that date. We actually double dated with Chris' roommate and his girlfriend (now wife). It was a lovely evening at the orchestra. He wore a handsome suit. I wore an entire ensemble of clothing, of which every piece belonged to someone else (gotta love living in the dorms) and according to him, I looked pretty good too. He was nervous. I was giddy. We held hands (gasp).
Exactly 10 years ago to the day, Chris Anderson asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes :)
And 10 years, a wedding, 2 college graduations, 7 homes, 4 cities and 2 kids later ..... here we are.
I'm so glad he asked me on that date :)
Despite my lack of memory for cute Montana boys' names, I developed a nice little crush. You know the "he always walks this hallway after class so I think I'll just happen to walk down this hallway too" kinda crush. And over the next three months we spent time talking, "bumping" into each other, getting to know each other. (ok, it was more like me stalking him and he not freaking out and running in the opposite direction. Same thing, right?)
10 years and 2 weeks ago he finally gathered the nerve to ask this girl out on a date. I. was. ecstatic.
10 years and 1 week ago we went on that date. We actually double dated with Chris' roommate and his girlfriend (now wife). It was a lovely evening at the orchestra. He wore a handsome suit. I wore an entire ensemble of clothing, of which every piece belonged to someone else (gotta love living in the dorms) and according to him, I looked pretty good too. He was nervous. I was giddy. We held hands (gasp).
Exactly 10 years ago to the day, Chris Anderson asked me to be his girlfriend. I said yes :)
And 10 years, a wedding, 2 college graduations, 7 homes, 4 cities and 2 kids later ..... here we are.
I'm so glad he asked me on that date :)
Friday, December 23, 2011
12 Posts of Christmas {8} The Ugliest Present Ever
So as Chris and I are wrapping up gifts, we come down to the last present - the very.last.one - and we have just scraps of wrapping paper left. Are you kidding me?? I'm so not running to the store to buy a roll of wrapping paper to wrap ONE box. But at the same time I'm terribly conflicted. The two pieces of wrapping paper left?? Totally don't match. Like, not even close. We've got blue and white snowmen. And green and red ornaments.
And I could feel the grumpies coming on. You know, the "this could ruin our whole Christmas because it's not perfect" kind of grumpies. But a simple reminder from Chris that this isn't a big deal and a deep breath later, we came up with this ....
And I could feel the grumpies coming on. You know, the "this could ruin our whole Christmas because it's not perfect" kind of grumpies. But a simple reminder from Chris that this isn't a big deal and a deep breath later, we came up with this ....
There ya have it. The ugliest Christmas present ever. (I added the pink bow just to put it's ugliness over the top.) But it's awesome because:
1) I didn't have to do any more shopping (which I'm soooooo done with) to buy more paper
2) Brooks won't care at all
3) I've made what I consider a HUGE step in overcoming my perfectionism.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
No More Cheese
Wow, it's been a whole month since I've posted anything. I've wanted to, believe me, and I have several posts already written ... in my head. But given that Carter's new nickname is Captain Fussy Pants, most all of my time lately has been rocking, nursing and in general holding baby C. I'm ok holding him. Really. In fact, I prefer to hold him rather than just set him in a chair for most of the day. But even while holding, rocking, swaying, wearing, swaddling, bouncing, walking, and shushing him, he would still cry. The only time he wasn't crying was when he was eating (all the time) and when he was sleeping (hardly ever). Oh, the frustration. And during this time his poops have been ... well ... let's just say less than lovely. My purely breastfed baby is supposed to have sweet smelling diapers and his were anything but. Something wasn't right.
So after a few weeks of this I took him to the chiropractor. I figured I'd start there. Dr. Marsh adjusted him and then suggested I start limiting my dairy intake. I had thought that maybe my diet was contributing to the problem, but didn't really want to believe it. I mean, do you know how hard it would be for this Wisconsin girl to stop eating cheese?? But it was worth a try. So starting that day (which was exaclty two weeks ago now) I stopped consuming dairy. No milk. No cheese. No yogurt. No sour cream. No butter. No cottage cheese. No nothing. (ok, I know that's not grammatically correct, but you'll have to forgive me ... I'm dairy deprived!)
I was hoping for an immediate improvement but we all know that didn't happen. But Carter did seem to get a little better. In fact he was on an every other day schedule. One day crabby and fussy as usual. The next, smiley and happy. And then back to crabby. This went on for a week. Then this last week he's had more and more happy days. And finally two weeks later, I believe we've solved the problem. Carter has been an amazing napper! He's smiling and cooing and it's fun to be around him again. Oh and his poop?? (because you were all dying to know) Yep, back to normal. Which makes risning and washing diapers much more pleasant.
So I guess that makes giving up my favorite food group worth it. And as an added bonus, I'm dropping the baby weight faster and saving money to boot. Milk is expensive! Now my my only problem is ... what do I make for supper????
So after a few weeks of this I took him to the chiropractor. I figured I'd start there. Dr. Marsh adjusted him and then suggested I start limiting my dairy intake. I had thought that maybe my diet was contributing to the problem, but didn't really want to believe it. I mean, do you know how hard it would be for this Wisconsin girl to stop eating cheese?? But it was worth a try. So starting that day (which was exaclty two weeks ago now) I stopped consuming dairy. No milk. No cheese. No yogurt. No sour cream. No butter. No cottage cheese. No nothing. (ok, I know that's not grammatically correct, but you'll have to forgive me ... I'm dairy deprived!)
I was hoping for an immediate improvement but we all know that didn't happen. But Carter did seem to get a little better. In fact he was on an every other day schedule. One day crabby and fussy as usual. The next, smiley and happy. And then back to crabby. This went on for a week. Then this last week he's had more and more happy days. And finally two weeks later, I believe we've solved the problem. Carter has been an amazing napper! He's smiling and cooing and it's fun to be around him again. Oh and his poop?? (because you were all dying to know) Yep, back to normal. Which makes risning and washing diapers much more pleasant.
So I guess that makes giving up my favorite food group worth it. And as an added bonus, I'm dropping the baby weight faster and saving money to boot. Milk is expensive! Now my my only problem is ... what do I make for supper????
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Carter James - A Birth Story
Saturday, September 3 - We were really hoping to have had a baby by now, but since we didn't we were thankful for one more Saturday to sleep in and enjoy a big breakfast. I'd been having Braxton Hicks contractions since 20 weeks with this pregnancy, but this morning they came every 5 minutes. Still very mild and I was easily able to walk and talk through them, but still persistent. I wanted to believe it was real labor but I knew better. Just more warm-ups for the real thing. In fact I was so convinced that nothing would come of them, that I let Chris go to Lifelight that afternoon to hear his brother's band play.
Brooks and I just hung around the house and played. Contractions still 5 minutes apart, but no stronger at all. I was getting kind of annoyed. Either do something or go away. When Chris got home around 4pm, I decided to take the dog for a walk and see if anything would come of these things. We walked for about 45 minutes and although they increased in strength a little during our walk, as soon as I arrived back home they fizzled out again. I took a nap around 6pm and they stopped altogether. Fantastic. This could go on for days.
Around 7:30 Chris' brother JD and his wife Pamela came over for supper and we enjoyed spending time out with them. I had noticed my contractions were picking up a little (and I mean just a little) during that time where it felt better to pause for about 20 seconds at the peak of them but still didn't require any relaxation or even the need to close my eyes. JD and Pamela left around 8:30pm and we put Brooks to bed. I texted our friend EdithEllen (our babysitter) to tell her to keep her phone close by. I was still convinced I wasn't in labor and wouldn't be for a long time, but I thought I'd give her a heads up .... just in case.
Around 9pm Chris, the ever planner, suggested going to bed. If this did turn into labor, we both should rest now while we could. I agreed but wasn't really tired so I quick checked e-mails and facebook and made it to bed around 9:15. Contractions were still about 5 minutes apart, but as soon as I laid down they really picked up in strength. Chris was laying next to me just timing contractions but I informed him I needed his coaching now. I actually had to work to relax through these. Contractions were only about 45 seconds long, but each one was much stronger and harder than the previous one. Now I knew this was labor. By 9:30 I realized things were moving faster than either of us expected. Chris called EdithEllen to tell her we'd leave for the hospital in about half an hour. He quickly grabbed the last few things for our hospital bag.
In about 10 minutes time, contractions went from 5 minutes apart and lasting 45 seconds to 2-3 minutes apart and lasting 1 minute 15 seconds. Chris called EE and told her we'd leave as soon as she could get here. He was now running, putting bags in the car and getting his shoes on. In the meantime I starting shaking and feeling very nauseous! I was hitting transition. And I was in my bed at home!!! I wasn't ready to have this baby here!
Chris saw what was happening and helped get me to the car. We were ready to leave before EdithEllen arrived (figuring Brooks would be ok alone for a few minutes - he was sleeping), but thankfully she pulled up just as Chris was backing out of the driveway. He gave her a few quick instructions and we were off. Fortunately the hospital is only about 5 minutes away but it was the longest 5 minute drive of my life. We were about 3 blocks from home and pulling onto Minnesota Ave (which is still very busy at 10 o'clock at night by the way) when a contraction came and I demanded that Chris stop the car. I just couldn't do it with the bumpy roads. He quickly pulled into the turning lane and stopped the car. He held my hand through the contraction, and then informed me that we couldn't stop anymore. We HAD to get to the hospital.
I couldn't believe how strong and fast these contractions were coming. I didn't have any urges to push so I knew this baby wouldn't be born in the car, but each contraction was still harder than the previous one. I was a bit scared at how intense this could get.
Chris called our midwife, Teri, while driving to tell her what was going on. She said she'd meet us at the hospital. We pulled up to the Emergency Entrance around 10:15pm. There was a lot of pressure from this baby so I hobbled inside and they quickly got me a wheelchair. We were there about 5 minutes before a nurse came down and wheeled me up to labor and delivery. In the short walk we had to stop two or three times for a contraction. Oh, they were so strong!
When we arrived on the labor and delivery floor they initially were going to take me to an exam room. Not because they needed to make sure I was really in labor (clearly, I was) but because there wasn't a regular room ready. I told them to just leave me in the hall .... I could have this baby anywhere!
Within a few minutes, they said the room was clean and ready. They wheeled me in and the floors were still wet from mopping. Guess I couldn't question if it was really clean. I stood up from the wheelchair and Chris and I labored standing next to the bed. Contractions were still coming every two minutes and lasting at least a minute. The nurse was very accomodating and simply worked around us as she checked the baby with the EFM. Oh yeah, the baby. Honestly, because I was so focused on these intense contractions I forgot why they were happening in the first place. Baby sounded good. I changed into a gown and declined a vaginal exam. I was having this baby whether I was a 4 or 7 ... it didn't really matter.
We labored in the room for a while and then I had to use the bathroom. It felt good to pee, but contractions were coming even stronger and harder now. In fact, if I had 30 seconds between them that was a long time. And they didn't seem to have a gradual start, a peak and then taper off. They just peaked and stayed there for the duration of the contraction. I continued sitting on the toilet. It didn't feel very good, but I was pretty sure these contractions would be painful in any position. Chris put a pillow behind my back and supported my head. The only way I could cope was to moan through each contraction. The stronger the contraction, the louder I moaned. So needless to say, it was pretty noisy in our room. After laboring on the toilet for some time, I told Chris I couldn't do this anymore. I just couldn't. He and Teri both reassured me I was doing great and that I could do it, but it was so hard! If only I could get a break. If only I had a bit more time between contractions. But by the time I could utter "I need a break" another contraction hit.
Chris suggested standing back up - perhaps that would feel better. I stood up & gravity seemd to take over. After a few minutes my water broke. Then I started pushing at the peaks (or what would have been the peaks) of contractions. Soon enough I was pushing during the entire contraction. I was still standing and it was quite uncomfortable pushing in this position. I didn't feel like there was enough room for baby to come out. Teri asked if I wanted to go back to the bed (I'm still in the bathroom, remember) and I told her I wouldn't make it.
During my whole pregnancy I was determined to push this baby out squatting. If Brazillian women could do it, darn it, so could I!! So I squatted down and well ... that was even more uncomfortable than standing. Then Teri said squatting puts a lot of pressure on the perineum and suggested hands and knees instead. So on my knees I went. I leaned forward into Chris' lap and pushed!! I still didn't get a break in between contractions and they were still quite painful, even when pushing. Since there wasn't a gradual start to them, I didn't have a chance to take the two cleansing breaths that I teach my students. In fact I was thinking, I don't teach ANY of this! All I could do was listen to my body and make it up as we went. Just goes to show that you can't always script your birth.
Teri did a quick check and found a cervical lip, which she moved out of the way. And then this baby came fast. I mean, really fast! I literally felt him slide down the birth canal. The pressure was overwhelming. Teri told me to do "little pushes" and I did my best to comply, but he really wanted to be born. Within a minute or so, at 11:30pm our baby's head emerged. Tremendous release! (I believe there was a total of five minutes of pushing!) I sat back up on my knees and grabbed my baby. Oh how sweet to be holding this miracle in my arms. Chris checked and announed it was a boy!
I was in shock! I couldn't believe how fast this labor went. (just hours earlier I was having dinner with my brother & sister in law!) I couldn't believe it was over and he was in my arms. I couldn't believe it was a boy! But he was perfect. He looked just like Brooks. And he was screaming. A beautiful newborn cry that told me everything was ok.
Teri told me that since I was bleeding quite a bit (later I found out due to a partial placental abruption) she wanted to give me a shot of pitocin in my arm to avoid starting an IV. I agreed and then we all walked to the bed, my beautiful baby boy in my arms. We were able to leave his cord intact and have skin to skin time right away. It was perfect. The rest of the room just faded away as I laid there holding my baby boy. He eventually stopped crying and I was fascinated as I looked into his eyes, so bright and so full of wonder. Within the hour he latched on and nursed like a champ. We didn't have a name for him since we sincerely thought this was a girl, but that didn't matter. Not now, anyway. Later we decided to call him Carter James. It fits him well :)
I was so thankful for Chris who helped and supported me through the whole crazy labor. I was so thankful for Teri for being such a calm presence and allowing us to have the birth we wanted. And I couldn't stop thanking God for giving us such a precious new life, healthy and whole. My heart was full. It still is. I loved being pregnant. I loved giving birth. And I love being a mama to my two wonderful boys.
Brooks and I just hung around the house and played. Contractions still 5 minutes apart, but no stronger at all. I was getting kind of annoyed. Either do something or go away. When Chris got home around 4pm, I decided to take the dog for a walk and see if anything would come of these things. We walked for about 45 minutes and although they increased in strength a little during our walk, as soon as I arrived back home they fizzled out again. I took a nap around 6pm and they stopped altogether. Fantastic. This could go on for days.
Around 7:30 Chris' brother JD and his wife Pamela came over for supper and we enjoyed spending time out with them. I had noticed my contractions were picking up a little (and I mean just a little) during that time where it felt better to pause for about 20 seconds at the peak of them but still didn't require any relaxation or even the need to close my eyes. JD and Pamela left around 8:30pm and we put Brooks to bed. I texted our friend EdithEllen (our babysitter) to tell her to keep her phone close by. I was still convinced I wasn't in labor and wouldn't be for a long time, but I thought I'd give her a heads up .... just in case.
Around 9pm Chris, the ever planner, suggested going to bed. If this did turn into labor, we both should rest now while we could. I agreed but wasn't really tired so I quick checked e-mails and facebook and made it to bed around 9:15. Contractions were still about 5 minutes apart, but as soon as I laid down they really picked up in strength. Chris was laying next to me just timing contractions but I informed him I needed his coaching now. I actually had to work to relax through these. Contractions were only about 45 seconds long, but each one was much stronger and harder than the previous one. Now I knew this was labor. By 9:30 I realized things were moving faster than either of us expected. Chris called EdithEllen to tell her we'd leave for the hospital in about half an hour. He quickly grabbed the last few things for our hospital bag.
In about 10 minutes time, contractions went from 5 minutes apart and lasting 45 seconds to 2-3 minutes apart and lasting 1 minute 15 seconds. Chris called EE and told her we'd leave as soon as she could get here. He was now running, putting bags in the car and getting his shoes on. In the meantime I starting shaking and feeling very nauseous! I was hitting transition. And I was in my bed at home!!! I wasn't ready to have this baby here!
Chris saw what was happening and helped get me to the car. We were ready to leave before EdithEllen arrived (figuring Brooks would be ok alone for a few minutes - he was sleeping), but thankfully she pulled up just as Chris was backing out of the driveway. He gave her a few quick instructions and we were off. Fortunately the hospital is only about 5 minutes away but it was the longest 5 minute drive of my life. We were about 3 blocks from home and pulling onto Minnesota Ave (which is still very busy at 10 o'clock at night by the way) when a contraction came and I demanded that Chris stop the car. I just couldn't do it with the bumpy roads. He quickly pulled into the turning lane and stopped the car. He held my hand through the contraction, and then informed me that we couldn't stop anymore. We HAD to get to the hospital.
I couldn't believe how strong and fast these contractions were coming. I didn't have any urges to push so I knew this baby wouldn't be born in the car, but each contraction was still harder than the previous one. I was a bit scared at how intense this could get.
Chris called our midwife, Teri, while driving to tell her what was going on. She said she'd meet us at the hospital. We pulled up to the Emergency Entrance around 10:15pm. There was a lot of pressure from this baby so I hobbled inside and they quickly got me a wheelchair. We were there about 5 minutes before a nurse came down and wheeled me up to labor and delivery. In the short walk we had to stop two or three times for a contraction. Oh, they were so strong!
When we arrived on the labor and delivery floor they initially were going to take me to an exam room. Not because they needed to make sure I was really in labor (clearly, I was) but because there wasn't a regular room ready. I told them to just leave me in the hall .... I could have this baby anywhere!
Within a few minutes, they said the room was clean and ready. They wheeled me in and the floors were still wet from mopping. Guess I couldn't question if it was really clean. I stood up from the wheelchair and Chris and I labored standing next to the bed. Contractions were still coming every two minutes and lasting at least a minute. The nurse was very accomodating and simply worked around us as she checked the baby with the EFM. Oh yeah, the baby. Honestly, because I was so focused on these intense contractions I forgot why they were happening in the first place. Baby sounded good. I changed into a gown and declined a vaginal exam. I was having this baby whether I was a 4 or 7 ... it didn't really matter.
We labored in the room for a while and then I had to use the bathroom. It felt good to pee, but contractions were coming even stronger and harder now. In fact, if I had 30 seconds between them that was a long time. And they didn't seem to have a gradual start, a peak and then taper off. They just peaked and stayed there for the duration of the contraction. I continued sitting on the toilet. It didn't feel very good, but I was pretty sure these contractions would be painful in any position. Chris put a pillow behind my back and supported my head. The only way I could cope was to moan through each contraction. The stronger the contraction, the louder I moaned. So needless to say, it was pretty noisy in our room. After laboring on the toilet for some time, I told Chris I couldn't do this anymore. I just couldn't. He and Teri both reassured me I was doing great and that I could do it, but it was so hard! If only I could get a break. If only I had a bit more time between contractions. But by the time I could utter "I need a break" another contraction hit.
Chris suggested standing back up - perhaps that would feel better. I stood up & gravity seemd to take over. After a few minutes my water broke. Then I started pushing at the peaks (or what would have been the peaks) of contractions. Soon enough I was pushing during the entire contraction. I was still standing and it was quite uncomfortable pushing in this position. I didn't feel like there was enough room for baby to come out. Teri asked if I wanted to go back to the bed (I'm still in the bathroom, remember) and I told her I wouldn't make it.
During my whole pregnancy I was determined to push this baby out squatting. If Brazillian women could do it, darn it, so could I!! So I squatted down and well ... that was even more uncomfortable than standing. Then Teri said squatting puts a lot of pressure on the perineum and suggested hands and knees instead. So on my knees I went. I leaned forward into Chris' lap and pushed!! I still didn't get a break in between contractions and they were still quite painful, even when pushing. Since there wasn't a gradual start to them, I didn't have a chance to take the two cleansing breaths that I teach my students. In fact I was thinking, I don't teach ANY of this! All I could do was listen to my body and make it up as we went. Just goes to show that you can't always script your birth.
Teri did a quick check and found a cervical lip, which she moved out of the way. And then this baby came fast. I mean, really fast! I literally felt him slide down the birth canal. The pressure was overwhelming. Teri told me to do "little pushes" and I did my best to comply, but he really wanted to be born. Within a minute or so, at 11:30pm our baby's head emerged. Tremendous release! (I believe there was a total of five minutes of pushing!) I sat back up on my knees and grabbed my baby. Oh how sweet to be holding this miracle in my arms. Chris checked and announed it was a boy!
I was in shock! I couldn't believe how fast this labor went. (just hours earlier I was having dinner with my brother & sister in law!) I couldn't believe it was over and he was in my arms. I couldn't believe it was a boy! But he was perfect. He looked just like Brooks. And he was screaming. A beautiful newborn cry that told me everything was ok.
Teri told me that since I was bleeding quite a bit (later I found out due to a partial placental abruption) she wanted to give me a shot of pitocin in my arm to avoid starting an IV. I agreed and then we all walked to the bed, my beautiful baby boy in my arms. We were able to leave his cord intact and have skin to skin time right away. It was perfect. The rest of the room just faded away as I laid there holding my baby boy. He eventually stopped crying and I was fascinated as I looked into his eyes, so bright and so full of wonder. Within the hour he latched on and nursed like a champ. We didn't have a name for him since we sincerely thought this was a girl, but that didn't matter. Not now, anyway. Later we decided to call him Carter James. It fits him well :)
Monday, August 22, 2011
"I Need Help"
These have to be the three hardest words I've ever uttered in my whole life. And lately, I've been saying them a lot. Yes, I know I'm 39 weeks pregnant and yes I know I should want people to help me. But for this self-sufficient, independent girl ..... that's a hard thing to do. Here's what complicates things.
Last Thursday after sweeping & mopping the downstairs floors (see? independant and stubborn!) my back was really achy. No big deal. I worked hard so now I deserve to kick my feet up, read my latest birth book and let my back rest and heal. Well, rest I did. Heal I did not. Throughout the evening that "ache" in my back turned to sharp, shooting pains in my lower back and right hip. Well, thank goodness for my chiropractor who can fix this, right? WRONG! This was Thursday night and I found out via Facebook that their office was closed on Friday. CLOSED!!! Now is not the time for them to be closed. This means I have to wait until Monday!
So Chris massaged my back, we prayed and went to bed. Friday the ache was still there but not the shooting pain. And Saturday was more of the same. Ok ... maybe I can make it 'till Monday. Oh, so wrong again. Saturday night we attended a BBQ at a friend's house and because we forgot to bring chairs along (thank you pregnancy brain), I ended up sitting on their picnic bench for a few hours. A hard, wooden, non-forgiving picnic bench. Re-enter sharp, shooting pain. Except this time it was worse! Way way worse! I informed Chris we needed to leave and as I literally limped to the van I prayed one prayer. "Dear Lord, please don't let me go into labor!"
Chris again massaged my back, applied heat, we prayed and went to bed in hopes that it would again feel better in the morning. But apparently I'd really done it this time and those delightful shooting pains were still present Sunday morning, reminding me again and again that I should NEVER mop the floor when I'm 38 weeks pregnant! Hear that pregnant mamas?? DON'T MOP THE FLOOR!!! You can live with the dirt!
So I limped through the house eating what breakfast I could and getting myself ready for church. And the whole drive there I'm just praying no one asks me "How are you feeling?" because they definitely would have gotten a whole sob story they never wanted to hear! Fortunately we made it through the morning without any comments on how big I was was or questions on how I felt. This is rare, my friends. Rare.
I limped back to the van, drove home and pretty much sat on my rump the whole rest of the day. And here's where the whole "I need help" thing comes in. I asked for help with everything from cooking meals, to caring for my son to getting out of the chair. And I asked not because I wanted to. I NEEDED to. I physically couldn't do the tasks that I so commonly do every day. Very very frustrating. But I am so thankful for an amazing husband who willingly changes diapers, cooks supper and rubs my back. I seriously couldn't do this without him!!
So today I went to see my chiropractor. He scolded me for mopping the floor. I scolded him for being closed on Friday. And he half-adjusted me. Because my back has been so "jacked up" for this many days, it barely budged. Fantastic. So although I feel somewhat better, my lower back is still achy and sore. I go back in later this week to have him work on it again. And I'm still praying I don't go into labor until this is resolved.
Last Thursday after sweeping & mopping the downstairs floors (see? independant and stubborn!) my back was really achy. No big deal. I worked hard so now I deserve to kick my feet up, read my latest birth book and let my back rest and heal. Well, rest I did. Heal I did not. Throughout the evening that "ache" in my back turned to sharp, shooting pains in my lower back and right hip. Well, thank goodness for my chiropractor who can fix this, right? WRONG! This was Thursday night and I found out via Facebook that their office was closed on Friday. CLOSED!!! Now is not the time for them to be closed. This means I have to wait until Monday!
So Chris massaged my back, we prayed and went to bed. Friday the ache was still there but not the shooting pain. And Saturday was more of the same. Ok ... maybe I can make it 'till Monday. Oh, so wrong again. Saturday night we attended a BBQ at a friend's house and because we forgot to bring chairs along (thank you pregnancy brain), I ended up sitting on their picnic bench for a few hours. A hard, wooden, non-forgiving picnic bench. Re-enter sharp, shooting pain. Except this time it was worse! Way way worse! I informed Chris we needed to leave and as I literally limped to the van I prayed one prayer. "Dear Lord, please don't let me go into labor!"
Chris again massaged my back, applied heat, we prayed and went to bed in hopes that it would again feel better in the morning. But apparently I'd really done it this time and those delightful shooting pains were still present Sunday morning, reminding me again and again that I should NEVER mop the floor when I'm 38 weeks pregnant! Hear that pregnant mamas?? DON'T MOP THE FLOOR!!! You can live with the dirt!
So I limped through the house eating what breakfast I could and getting myself ready for church. And the whole drive there I'm just praying no one asks me "How are you feeling?" because they definitely would have gotten a whole sob story they never wanted to hear! Fortunately we made it through the morning without any comments on how big I was was or questions on how I felt. This is rare, my friends. Rare.
I limped back to the van, drove home and pretty much sat on my rump the whole rest of the day. And here's where the whole "I need help" thing comes in. I asked for help with everything from cooking meals, to caring for my son to getting out of the chair. And I asked not because I wanted to. I NEEDED to. I physically couldn't do the tasks that I so commonly do every day. Very very frustrating. But I am so thankful for an amazing husband who willingly changes diapers, cooks supper and rubs my back. I seriously couldn't do this without him!!
So today I went to see my chiropractor. He scolded me for mopping the floor. I scolded him for being closed on Friday. And he half-adjusted me. Because my back has been so "jacked up" for this many days, it barely budged. Fantastic. So although I feel somewhat better, my lower back is still achy and sore. I go back in later this week to have him work on it again. And I'm still praying I don't go into labor until this is resolved.
Big Boy and a Baby
A few weeks ago we got together with our very talented friend Brent from BK Photography and took some 2 year pictures of my big boy and a few maternity shots too. Enjoy!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
You know you're 9 months pregnant when ....
First of all, I just have to say that I LOVE being pregnant. This is by no means a pity-party, poor pregnant me post. But at this stage in pregnancy, there are some things that just make me laugh ... or cry ... or just shake my head. Here's a few of my observations.
You know you're 9 months pregnant when .....
You know you're 9 months pregnant when .....
- Rolling over in bed is something you no longer take for granted.
- You can locate the nearest restroom from wherever you are standing ... at anytime!
- You can't trust a sneeze ... ever.
- People stop looking at you with the "oh, she's so beautiful carrying new life" look. Instead you get the wide-eyed look of panic. As in "Holy cow, she's huge!" or "Dear God, I hope she doesn't have that baby here".
- You have the baby's routine almost memorized. Early morning: stretches. Afternoon: A few good jabs to the bladder. Evening: hiccups. Always hiccups.
- You don't have to have a reason for being tired and/or sweaty. Overall this summer hasn't been bad with the heat, but when everyone else in my house is comfortable, I'm stripping off clothes and sweating like I just came out of a sauna! And going to the zoo for a hour or two in the morning is enough to warrant a nap for the rest of the afternoon.
- You are now becoming best friends with your chiropractor. I seriously don't know how pregnant women make it 9 months without chiropractic care. I would be a laid-up, whining, serisouly in pain mess by now if it weren't for Dr. Marsh.
- Wearing clothes is totally annoying and no longer a necessity when at home. Although I'll add that it is handy to have a pair of pants nearby, just in case your neighbor girl decides to knock on your door and return your casserole dish while you're in your non-clothes-wearing mood. You know, hypothetically speaking. It could happen.
- You actually having nothing to wear. So you wear .... wait for it .... nothing (see previous point). I'm down to 1 pair of shorts and 1 pair of capris and just a handful of shirts that fit this ever expanding belly. So to those of you who see me on a regular basis, I apologize for the monotony in my wardrobe. But these are the days that I'm glad I'm not working where I would feel the need to wear something cute, appropriate & different for work every day. Now I just sport my one pair of shorts and rotate between the four shirts that fit. It's functional and that's all that matters!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Baby Bump - 35 weeks
Whew, that baby is sure getting big. And believe me, I am fully aware of my size every time I *try* to roll over in bed, or attempt to get up off the floor after playing cars with Brooks. I can honestly say that I love being pregnant though - even though I'm in my last month of pregnancy and it's been crazy hot here the last few weeks. I figure I'm only going to be pregnant for a short time in my life and I better enjoy it while I can.
Here are some pregnancy related highlights to catch you up on what's going on:
- This baby really doesn't have a nickname. Once upon a time we called him/her "guy", but that seemed to confuse people. "Oh, so you're having a boy?" Um, no we just picked the name at random - we don't know what we're having. And since Brooks just refers to my growing bump as "baby", that's what we do too.
- This baby has been sitting WAY lower than Brooks ever did. In fact, at this point in my pregnancy with Brooks I was icing my ribs after work everyday because he decided that shoving his butt under my rib cage was grand ol' fun. Not this kiddo. He's made a comfy little nest right on top of my bladder and pressing against my lower back/hips.
- Because of baby's position, I have had persistent lower back & hip pain. All I can say is THANK YOU Dr. Marsh!!! My chiropractor has allowed me to sleep well at night, sit & stand without constant pain and pretty much allowed me to enjoy this summer with my boy! And with just a few weeks left until D-day, I'm seeing him on a weekly basis.
- Probably the most interesting thing about this kiddo is how much he/she moves. And I'm not just talking about kicks and stretches. Oh no. This baby will start breach, flip to transverse and land head down .... all in the same day!! Only to repeat this pattern the next day. And the day after that. And the day after that. This has been going on for weeks ... probably months. Even my midwife and chiropractor are amazed at how much this kiddo is still (literally) flipping around inside. I'm just praying real hard that baby decides to end this gymnastics routine soon and will eventually land in the head down position - oh and not tangled up in the umbilical cord!
- We're working harder on preparing for birth now. We're doing relaxation on a regular basis and have even done a labor rehearsal in our living room. And I'm so impressed by my husband because he's been the one to initiate most of these preparations. I teach this stuff for a living, but he's still reminding me to eat my eggs every day (because I totally forget otherwise), and practice relaxation and to keep doing my kegels and pelvic rocks. He's such a fantastic husband and labor coach and the best daddy our kids could ever hope for!!!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
4th of July Randomness
Ok, so almost a week later I'll post some pictures and happenings from last weekend. We're still in the process of unpacking and cleaning everything in this old, not-clean-at-all house that we just moved into. So needless to say, blogging has been at the bottom of my to-do list.
But we did have fun last weekend ... eventually. Here's what I mean.
Friday night I'm looking through the paper and lo and behold, there's a 4th of July parade this weekend. Fantastic! Firetrucks, marching bands, free candy ... what's not to love. So Saturday morning after breakfast (which is around 10am) we quick throw on some clothes (because no one has bothered to shower by this point), put on our shoes, pack a quick toddler survival bag (snacks, water, sunscreen, more snacks) and headed downtown. The whole time we were talking up this awesome parade to Brooks and boy was this kid excited to see a firetruck! We were running a bit late, but we actually found a parking spot, pulled out the stroller, and started speedwalking the two blocks to the parade route. We rushed up to 6th street to be welcomed by ...... no one. There was no one on the street. No people. No firetrucks. No candy. No marching bands. Um, what? So Chris pulled out his phone and looked it up. Sure enough. The parade was on MONDAY. Not Saturday. Oh, and did I mention that I texted a friend of mine that morning too to meet us at the parade. Talk about feeling like a schmuck!
So I apologized profusely to my friend for my inability to read a calendar and started the walk back to the van. Brooks needless to say was quite disappointed. But as a loving mother who hates to see my kid sad (especially when I caused it) tried to cheer him up.
Brooks: (sad) Parade? Firetruck?
Me: Sorry buddy, no parade. But look, there's a water fountain!
Brooks: (excited) Water!! Touch water!
Me: No, sorry you can't touch the water.
Brooks: (crying) Touch water!
Me: No you can't touch the water. Look, there's a puppy
Brooks: (cheered up) Puppy! Puppy! Pet puppy.
Me: No, that's not our puppy. You can't pet it.
Brooks: (more cyring) Puppy!!!
And so the morning went. Yeah, I was pretty much the world's worst mom. I was considering giving him some candy, just so I could take it away.
Anyway, we came home, had lunch and put Brooks down for a nap. I still felt bad about the morning's events, so in an attempt to make it up to him we decided to go swimming after he woke up. So around 4pm we put on swimsuits, sunscreen, grabbed the towels and the toddler survival bag and headed to the pool. We swam for about half an hour when they blew the whistle and closed the pool .... for an hour! Boy I sure was batting 1000 today. Fortunatley Brooks can't tell time and that 30 minutes must have seemed longer to him because he was ok with leaving the pool.
We went home, changed and went out to Qdoba for supper, because this awesome day also happened to be our anniversary. Happy anniversary to us! The upside of the day was that after supper we took a random trip to Target. You know the "we don't really need anything, but since we have nothing else to do let's go to Target" kind of trip. And Chris found a new grill for 50% off! Which was great since ours died just a few days prior. I'll post pics of that later.
(here's where the fun really picks up) Saturday night our friend Tyler calls us.
Tyler: I'm sure you guys already have plans for the weekend, but we're heading to my uncle's cabin on a lake tomorrow after church if you want to come.
Me: Actually, we're pretty lame and have no plans. Sounds like fun. We're in!!
And so we did. We went camping overnight Sunday into Monday and had a BLAST!! It was so nice to get away and relax.
We rode 4-wheelers (and by "we" I mean everyone but me. Bumpy trail rides + lots of already occuring Braxton Hicks would not have been a good combination.)
played games
and had a ton of fun playing outside. 2 acres of open grass and a 2 year old boy?? Yeah, he had fun.
But we did have fun last weekend ... eventually. Here's what I mean.
Friday night I'm looking through the paper and lo and behold, there's a 4th of July parade this weekend. Fantastic! Firetrucks, marching bands, free candy ... what's not to love. So Saturday morning after breakfast (which is around 10am) we quick throw on some clothes (because no one has bothered to shower by this point), put on our shoes, pack a quick toddler survival bag (snacks, water, sunscreen, more snacks) and headed downtown. The whole time we were talking up this awesome parade to Brooks and boy was this kid excited to see a firetruck! We were running a bit late, but we actually found a parking spot, pulled out the stroller, and started speedwalking the two blocks to the parade route. We rushed up to 6th street to be welcomed by ...... no one. There was no one on the street. No people. No firetrucks. No candy. No marching bands. Um, what? So Chris pulled out his phone and looked it up. Sure enough. The parade was on MONDAY. Not Saturday. Oh, and did I mention that I texted a friend of mine that morning too to meet us at the parade. Talk about feeling like a schmuck!
So I apologized profusely to my friend for my inability to read a calendar and started the walk back to the van. Brooks needless to say was quite disappointed. But as a loving mother who hates to see my kid sad (especially when I caused it) tried to cheer him up.
Brooks: (sad) Parade? Firetruck?
Me: Sorry buddy, no parade. But look, there's a water fountain!
Brooks: (excited) Water!! Touch water!
Me: No, sorry you can't touch the water.
Brooks: (crying) Touch water!
Me: No you can't touch the water. Look, there's a puppy
Brooks: (cheered up) Puppy! Puppy! Pet puppy.
Me: No, that's not our puppy. You can't pet it.
Brooks: (more cyring) Puppy!!!
And so the morning went. Yeah, I was pretty much the world's worst mom. I was considering giving him some candy, just so I could take it away.
Anyway, we came home, had lunch and put Brooks down for a nap. I still felt bad about the morning's events, so in an attempt to make it up to him we decided to go swimming after he woke up. So around 4pm we put on swimsuits, sunscreen, grabbed the towels and the toddler survival bag and headed to the pool. We swam for about half an hour when they blew the whistle and closed the pool .... for an hour! Boy I sure was batting 1000 today. Fortunatley Brooks can't tell time and that 30 minutes must have seemed longer to him because he was ok with leaving the pool.
We went home, changed and went out to Qdoba for supper, because this awesome day also happened to be our anniversary. Happy anniversary to us! The upside of the day was that after supper we took a random trip to Target. You know the "we don't really need anything, but since we have nothing else to do let's go to Target" kind of trip. And Chris found a new grill for 50% off! Which was great since ours died just a few days prior. I'll post pics of that later.
(here's where the fun really picks up) Saturday night our friend Tyler calls us.
Tyler: I'm sure you guys already have plans for the weekend, but we're heading to my uncle's cabin on a lake tomorrow after church if you want to come.
Me: Actually, we're pretty lame and have no plans. Sounds like fun. We're in!!
And so we did. We went camping overnight Sunday into Monday and had a BLAST!! It was so nice to get away and relax.
This whole barn was renovated into a cabin. Pretty cool, huh?
We rode 4-wheelers (and by "we" I mean everyone but me. Bumpy trail rides + lots of already occuring Braxton Hicks would not have been a good combination.)
played games
and had a ton of fun playing outside. 2 acres of open grass and a 2 year old boy?? Yeah, he had fun.
That night the boys blew stuff up for a couple of hours .... it was a lot of fun.
The next day we decided to go canoeing.
yeah, I know I look goofy.
We paddled out to an island in the middle of the lake to have a picnic. Going out was easy because we were going with the wind. Coming back ..... well, that was a different story. Let's just say that all marriage retreats should include a canoe trip with your spouse. Chris was a trooper because there were many times when my arms were so tired I just couldn't paddle anymore.
And what did Brooks think of it?
Well, despite the fact that he could barely see up over the canoe and he could hardly move in his oversized life jacket, he had a really good time. On the way home, all he talked about was the "blue canoe" and going for a ride on the water.
So despite the rough start to our weekend, it ended well and we have a lot of great memories from it.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Picture a Day - May 31
27 weeks
Well, these weeks just keep truckin' on by. I wouldn't say this pregnancy is going by quickly, but since I have more to keep my time occupied, it just seems to be going quicker.
This kiddo is moving moving moving all over. I could tell on Friday the he/she was in a breech position (which is really no big deal at this point) since I felt all the "not so little" flutters way down low. But on Saturday morning it felt like this kiddo was doing some serious jumping jacks for about 5 minutes. Then, whaddya know, he's head down. It's weird to feel such BIG movements. I attribute the move to all the pelvic rocking I've been doing :)
Other than that, things have been going really smoothly. Probably the biggest adjustment is that Brooks has to sit next to my lap instead of on my lap during story time. So really, no big deal. With 13 weeks (or so) left to go, Chris is also getting prepared for his coaching role in labor. "Will you give me a refresher course so I remember what to do?" he asks me. Of course!! So each week after I teach my class, we'll sit down and go through the Bradley® workbook together and review. I love my husband and I can't wait to have another baby with him!!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Picture a Day - May 19
Tonight we got all dressed up and went out on a "fancy" date. Grandma Gale took Brooks and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Carnival Brazillian Grill. Chris was in heaven ... all you can eat MEAT Rodizio buffet!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Picture a day - May 17
So I know these pictures have been too far and few between, but here's a bump shot for you. I actually was up and ready before Chris left for work this morning and was able to get a picture before tonight (when I usually look like a frumpy, tired mommy in stained clothing)
This kiddo has been sitting much lower than Brooks ever did. Brooks lived in my lungs. This one has taken up residence right on top of my bladder. So needless to say I'm never too far from a bathroom. And baby's been moving a lot lately too. The last few morning between 7 and 7:30am, the kiddo finds his/her legs. Chris loves to feel the baby too. The other morning, Chris put his cheek to my belly and said "hello". The baby said hello back by giving Daddy a good swift kick! It was pretty funny.
I am 25 weeks today. These weeks seem to be just speeding by. September will be here before I know it. But trust me, I can wait. I'm looking forward to enjoying every day this short summer brings. We had a unusally warm day last week (85 degrees) and I realized that all my maternity clothes are not only all work clothes, but all winter clothes. That's not going to work for this stay at home mom in the summer. So I put a plea out on facebook, and my wonderful friend Bethany came to the rescue, and loaned me all her super cute summer maternity outfits!! Hooray for sharing clothes!!
This kiddo has been sitting much lower than Brooks ever did. Brooks lived in my lungs. This one has taken up residence right on top of my bladder. So needless to say I'm never too far from a bathroom. And baby's been moving a lot lately too. The last few morning between 7 and 7:30am, the kiddo finds his/her legs. Chris loves to feel the baby too. The other morning, Chris put his cheek to my belly and said "hello". The baby said hello back by giving Daddy a good swift kick! It was pretty funny.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Picture a Day - May 11
Tonight was Awards Night at church so in honor of that, here's a few pictures of my girlies I taught all year. And since gathering eight 1st & 2nd graders is equivalent to hearding spiders, I snagged a bunch of individual shots. Missing that night were Olivia, Kassidy and Jailene. Gabrielle was there, but I somehow missed getting her picture.
 |
| Kaitlyn |
 |
| Grace |
 |
| Zoey |
 |
| Angelique |
 |
| Allison |
 |
| Kaylee |
 |
| Emily |
 |
| Haylea |
 |
| Miss Rhoda & I |
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Picture a Day - May 8
Happy Mother's Day!! I was truly blessed by my boys today. Daddy made breakfast and Brooks and Charlie helped me open my Mother's Day present. We grabbed Caribou on the way to church and enjoyed a yummy sandwich at Camille's for lunch. I just LOVE my family :)
Friday, May 6, 2011
Picture a Day - May 6
Today's temp reached 76 degrees!!! That's summer weather, baby! So after dinner we went for a stroll downtown. Which basically means Mom putzes in the shops while Dad keeps Brooks entertained :) And on our walk, the owner of the kitchen store gave me a flower for Mother's Day. How sweet!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
weird Christmas
Well, for starters, it's Christmas this week. Totally weird and not really feelin' ready for it. I mean I bought the few presents we're going to buy and wrapped them. But they're all stacked up high on a shelf because when I put them under the tree ... well .... let's just say a certain one year old boy was totally fascinated with shiny bows and tearing off wrapping paper. So we have an empty tree.
And then there's the fact that this is the first year we're not spending Christmas with either of our parents. Chris' mom and dad were supposed to meet us in Minneapolis, but couldn't get away for work/church reasons. After the initial disappointment I thought "maybe this won't be so bad. We'll get to start our own family traditions this year." But we're not going to be at our house for Christmas. We're still going to Minneapolis to spend the holiday with Chris' brother and his wife. Which will be fun, but kinda weird.
And then I had this huge dilema about cookies. (yes, cookies!) Should I bake Christmas cookies?? I usually never do because our mama's bake a whole ton of them and that's usually enough sugar intake for the whole year. But our mamas aren't going to be around for Christmas! And I don't like making dozens and dozens of cookies because I EAT THEM ALL!!! (sigh) So I've been fighting this scroogy, bah-humbug attitude for the past few weeks and I don't like it :(
So then what's this whole Christmas thing all about? (and let's be honest, we all know the right answer, but do we really live it?) I know Christmas is not about presents, or cookies or in which bed we wake up on December 25. But it's alwasy easier to say that when you have cookies and presents and the like. So I'm learning to let go. I'm learning to enjoy this season for what it is. I'm finding Christmas. I guess that's a part of growing up and making that transistion from being a part of my parent's family to becoming our own little family.
And the closer we get to Christmas the more excited I'm becoming. I'm looking forward to a low-key Christmas with JD & Pamela. I'm excited for Brooks to actually know how to open presnents and enjoy the tree. And I'm totally excited to take Mr. B ice skating for the first time. And of course I'm excited to remember the great sacrifice that my Savior, Jesus made by coming to earth as a baby so I could have eternal life (way better than any gift wrapped in snowman paper if you ask me)
Merry Christmas!!!!
And then there's the fact that this is the first year we're not spending Christmas with either of our parents. Chris' mom and dad were supposed to meet us in Minneapolis, but couldn't get away for work/church reasons. After the initial disappointment I thought "maybe this won't be so bad. We'll get to start our own family traditions this year." But we're not going to be at our house for Christmas. We're still going to Minneapolis to spend the holiday with Chris' brother and his wife. Which will be fun, but kinda weird.
And then I had this huge dilema about cookies. (yes, cookies!) Should I bake Christmas cookies?? I usually never do because our mama's bake a whole ton of them and that's usually enough sugar intake for the whole year. But our mamas aren't going to be around for Christmas! And I don't like making dozens and dozens of cookies because I EAT THEM ALL!!! (sigh) So I've been fighting this scroogy, bah-humbug attitude for the past few weeks and I don't like it :(
So then what's this whole Christmas thing all about? (and let's be honest, we all know the right answer, but do we really live it?) I know Christmas is not about presents, or cookies or in which bed we wake up on December 25. But it's alwasy easier to say that when you have cookies and presents and the like. So I'm learning to let go. I'm learning to enjoy this season for what it is. I'm finding Christmas. I guess that's a part of growing up and making that transistion from being a part of my parent's family to becoming our own little family.
And the closer we get to Christmas the more excited I'm becoming. I'm looking forward to a low-key Christmas with JD & Pamela. I'm excited for Brooks to actually know how to open presnents and enjoy the tree. And I'm totally excited to take Mr. B ice skating for the first time. And of course I'm excited to remember the great sacrifice that my Savior, Jesus made by coming to earth as a baby so I could have eternal life (way better than any gift wrapped in snowman paper if you ask me)
Merry Christmas!!!!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Travelin' Mama
You ever have that 'need to get away feeling'? Well, there's been none of that around here. Because believe me ... I've been away. And now, finally (sigh) I'm back home. Yes, it feels good to be back home.
It started the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. We packed up our son and half of our home into our mini-van and hit the road to Wisconsin to visit my family for Thanksgiving. We decided to leave after dinner so we could drive and the little would sleep the whole way there. Well, turns out that's not such a good idea. Because around midnight it physically hurt to keep my eyes open (yeah I know, I'm old) leaving my poor husband to drive in the dark by himeself. And from 11p-1a Brooks was WIDE awake, shooting the whole 'driving at night so the kid will sleep' theory right in the butt.
But we arrived around 2am and crashed hard in the morning. Thank goodness for grandparents who are more than willing to feed and entertain a 17 month old while mom and dad sleep in. (sleep in?? does that happen when you're a parent?)
It started the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. We packed up our son and half of our home into our mini-van and hit the road to Wisconsin to visit my family for Thanksgiving. We decided to leave after dinner so we could drive and the little would sleep the whole way there. Well, turns out that's not such a good idea. Because around midnight it physically hurt to keep my eyes open (yeah I know, I'm old) leaving my poor husband to drive in the dark by himeself. And from 11p-1a Brooks was WIDE awake, shooting the whole 'driving at night so the kid will sleep' theory right in the butt.
But we arrived around 2am and crashed hard in the morning. Thank goodness for grandparents who are more than willing to feed and entertain a 17 month old while mom and dad sleep in. (sleep in?? does that happen when you're a parent?)
Brooks taking an important call.
We had fun spending time with family ...
eating good food ....
mmmm, sweet potatoes :)
and opening Christmas presents.
And per tradition, on Thanksgiving morning the boys went out on the bay to shoot stuff.
(shrug) It's a guy thing, I guess.
We spent the rest of the weekend there relaxing, crafting (well, the girls did anyway), and museum-ing (is that a word) before we headed home on Sunday. That gave me just enough time to unpack, do laundry and pack my bag to leave again on Wednesday. Excect this time I was flying solo. Literally ... I flew to Dallas all by myself.
A few weeks earlier I was accepted into the training program to be a Bradley childbirth instructor. So I grabbed my carry-on, drove to Minneapolis and flew to Dallas for the four day training. Let me tell you how weird it was to get my boarding pass by myself. And sit next to a stranger on a plane for two hours. And check into a hotel by myself. I never travel like this without my husband. And this was my first time away from my baby. (sniff sniff)
I did ok, but I sure did miss 'em. I felt so much better leaving though, since my mother in law drove in from Montana to stay and take care of my boys while I was gone. Everyone seemed to manage pretty well without mom which made me feel kinda sad good.
And as far as the training goes. Well, they were really long days! Like from 8am-10pm kinda long days. But I learned a lot, made some great new friends and gained a bit more confidence for teaching other couples how to have a totally natural, unmedicated birth ... something I am totally passionate about. I still have some paper work to finish up (hospital evaluations, book reports and such) before I can actually teach. But start telling your pregnant friends ... this mama is teaching childbirth! And it's going to be great!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)