Hello- is this thing on. Phew, let me clean out the cobwebs and dust a bit quickly. uh-um
As you may have noticed I’ve been living life and not documenting it so much. Since my last post (was it seriously around Thanksgiving?!?!?) I’ve grown (not so much vertically), we had a few Christmas celebrations (I think one every weekend) and look at that, we are in a whole new year. Thankfully I have a few months to get my head around the idea that we’ll be 3 + 1 family soon. On the little man front things are happening so fast- everyday is a new adventure. New Words, New Explorations, New Stories, and new routines. I’ll dedicate a separate post to the Caleb Times in a bit.
While it may appear that I’ve abandon this blog, or I’m not dedicating the time and energy to my 2nd pregnancy story (My mom reminds me weekly how the second child is going to feel when she- yes she- finds out I didn’t blog the experience for her like I did little man), that’s absolutely not true. I almost feel as I have done less complaining and more reflecting with round 2. You see with round 1 I was too distracted by my need to puke, and then the heartburn and insomnia, extremities the size of watermelon’s and my out-of-control weight gain. Round 2 is a complete opposite, minus the basketball attached to my belly button, I feel great. There are days I’d like to go to the gym and pretend I have a new years resolution. I do have self-induced heartburn after a selection of foods, but really most cravings and pregnant tendencies have been under control.
I also feel more prepared, more organized with this round. (Here’s where I might need to point out how laid-back I am in comparison to many first-time moms). You see round 1- we had 1 ultrasound, people were trying to prepare me for many different scenarios, giving me pointers on aids and remedies to progress things along. Well I don’t learn very well by listening or reading…I guess I need to experience it myself to make everything click. So this time around it just seems more organized and yet, even more laid back.
To begin we prepared a fun little announcement by having little man be the bearer of good news (either in person or via picture for those who lived far away) with a home-made shirt.
Then we opted to find out the gender of our little one- which for round one I appreciated the element of surprise. Again we were a bit festive and decorated a cake (pink on the inside) announcing the news to family….only to come home and realize that the dog had eaten the entire cake. The back up plan was a pretty entertaining story
We did a family and mini maternity shoot a few weeks ago…literally my husband and I did the photography seeing how I own a photography business and all . Little man decided to keep things true to form. When asked where the baby was, he showed us…
He even offer his little sister a kiss…
Staying true to tradition…here’s the bump at 24 weeks.
Now that the Holidays are over and we don’t have plans to host company for a little while we are giving little man’s room a big boy makeover, and turning the guest room (Also known as the red room) into the new girly nursery. Fun thing about girls is I can take things I thought were cool during wedding planning and turn it into some inspiration for a girls bedroom….hopefully I’ll have a few pictures to post this weekend (although you might want to keep an eye on my creative blog- Fosteringacreativelife.com for all the details)
I also went Christmas shopping and happened to pick up a few things for the in utero child from her older siblings (Diesel is still our first born- I just didn’t have quite the labor pains with him). A few bags of girls clothes from some generous friends and the closet is quickly filling….which means I better keep cleaning out my stuff
In just 3 more months-ish we’ll have a daughter to greet you. Hopefully, I’ll get on the ball and post a few more updates between now and then!
On this thanksgiving day I have much to be grateful for.
I’m grateful for my husband who is always willing to help out with mundane (or special requests) to make life easier around the house. Like helping making a salad, an appetizer, vegetable and dessert for Thanksgiving meal last night before going to bed.
I’m grateful for my little man who “helps” me fold laundary by decorating the house and himself with his mom’s socks and underwear. Maybe next time I’ll wait to introduce him to Christams decorating after all the laundry has been folded!
I’m grateful for our dog-child who will cuddle up to you and do everything possible to make your day a little brighter.
And last but certainly not least, I’m grateful for the opportunity to be an incubator to our future daughter. I am blessed each day with her squiggles and the relentless heartburn.
Hope you and yours have a happy and safe thanksgiving Holiday
There comes a point in your life when you feel fulfilled. The first look at a newborn and the world around you goes still. Your heart is forever changed in a way that you never thought possible. The life you imagined in your head for years, suddenly becomes a reality unraveling before your eyes. The nights of hanging with girlfriends, are somehow replaced by sleepless nights and early bedtime that you wouldn’t change for the world. You choose to spend 5 more minutes watching your child explore their world, over cleaning up the dishes after dinner. The days of a clean house seem less important, and time spent watching your child’s 45 minute bath become more meaningful and enlightening each day. The moment you realize every tear, scratch, and sad moment felt by a child doubles in strength for a mother’s heart, is the moment you realize that you are living your life for something much bigger than yourself.
Balancing your life takes on a whole new meaning. This past summer I charaded my way through a circus act, attempting to balance a professional life (working 50-60 hour work weeks), a creative life (getting my photography & blogging businesses off the ground), and a family life. Now that the chaos has ended and there is 5 minutes to clear my head, I’m realizing that my job as a mother trumps all other opportunities in life. In 10 years I will not be able to go back and watch my 18-month-old son grab onto the edge of the counter and swing like a trapeze artist. The life I have created could easily continue on each day with a majority of my time spent focused on the monotonous activities of daily life. However starting in September I chose to take an active role in my life, focusing my efforts on what means the most to me, family. While it’s certainly not feasible for our family to have me do this on a full-time basis, perhaps it has given light to how I focus my attention in daily life.
I have never regretted the life I have chosen. I value each aspect to my life, and am grateful for the opportunities and challenges I have experienced. My professional career is one filled with research, innovation, and teaching opportunities which fulfill my innate desire to learn and lead others. My creative life is an opportunity for adventure, to follow a passion, a belief, and allow myself to be the creator and the decision-maker all in one. What matters is how I choose to spend my time. What if I chose to not go to church on a Sunday morning and instead spend one morning with the husband, son, dog and myself all huddled into one bed that is too – small for our growing family? Would people judge me? Most likely, but here’s where I get to choose how live my life. What if I choose to take a walk with the family over cleaning the house? Would people judge me- you might if you saw the constant disarray of our house lately. What if I spend less time in small talk at work and focus on getting the work done so I can leave my work at work? Does this make me less dedicated than others who work beyond a standard work week? The point isn’t that I don’t care, it’s about choosing what is most important and dedicating the time to prove it.
You have not seen a blog post here since July. Doesn’t mean I wasn’t interested, or didn’t try. It means I arrive home at 5 PM to a happy and energetic little boy who steals my heart. We choose to have a family dinner and then spend our last hour together as a family, before I nestle into bed with my little man at 7:30 PM. I watch eagerly as his eyelids grow heavy, how he wrestles to distract himself so he can avoid sleeping for just 5 more minutes, and eventually listen as his breaths grow deeper and soft hums replace the squeals of laughter heard less than an hour ago. Saying goodnight is always a ritual including a kiss on the forehead enclosed with a whisper “Dream Big Little Man,” (which sometimes prompts him to raise his arm to shew away the strange feeling on his forehead). Often times I return to repeat the same “Good Night” ritual as I head off to bed myself. From 8 PM to 10 PM is my time to re-aquaint myself with my husband as it seem likes months since we sat down to a bowl of popcorn and a movie. Over the past month I felt less inclined to do what “needed to get done” and replaced these activities with what “I want to do most.”
Being a mom is the most rewarding and exhausting thing I have experienced in my life. In an effort to make things even more complicated and exciting we decided to add another member to our family. Consider this our announcement…
Little Man will the add the title of “Big Bother” to his name come April of 2012, creating a whole new chapter in our life story. I can choose to be a passenger in my life, or the driver. With some unchartered territory up ahead, and new challenges coming our way, I have the opportunity to mold and shape the story of this adventure we call life!
I feel like we flipped the calendar to August and we realized we better quick enjoy summer before it’s over. This summer has been SO much fun with little man. When we learned our Day Care provider was retiring and finding a new one mid-summer would be tricky, we opted to allow for Daddy Daycare. I’ve known my husband a long time and I didn’t think his patience would make it, boy was I a bit shocked when the one rolling out of bed early wasn’t him (he’s totally the early bird), but yours truly. The summer list of things to do seemed saturated with projects that didn’t allow for a little man to help. Needless to say, I begged and prodded enough to get my trellis and garden path in the raised bed.
Apparently little man has a future as a foreman. It amazes me how he will watch you do something and 30 seconds later he’s trying it to- with moderate success. Brent climbed up a ladder, Caleb was right behind him. Brent was moving stone around, Caleb came over to help, even holding the wood planks for the trellis- Caleb was reaching to help hold them up. I’ll say that he does have a keen sense of observation and I need to be careful what he witnesses
That was about the only project we checked off the list. Beyond that summer was a whole lot of playing and swimming. Caleb runs, dances and jumps quite well. Oh and climbs up slides…
Doesn’t matter if it’s on land or in water. I wasn’t lying when I said he was observant. As if this small slide wasn’t bad enough we have added a swing-set to our yard with a big slide, and we’ve already caught him at the top after climbing UP the slide. While he’s a thinker, once he’s got something figured out he’s not afraid to try it. I’ve almost had a few heart attacks as he attempted to go down the stairs from the deck to patio like a big person. Thankfully I caught him before he landed. He thought it was funny, I needed to sit down!
Most of the time we are completely entertained. He still carries about 20 different expressions in his back pocket and it’s always a surprise as to which one he’ll flash!
Do you ever have that strange sensation that you might be headed in the wrong direction, that something “not so good” is just lurking around the corner. Remember National Lampoon’s Vacation? here’s a trailer to help jog your memory and set the stage for the rest of this post.
That was the feeling I had the entire week of our 4th of July vacation. It has nothing to do with the company or the plans, it was just one of THOSE weeks.
To begin we got a phone call late Friday night (July 1) that my in-laws were hit with a really bad storm. There were trees and power lines down all over. Ok, we’ve been there before- our house was hit last summer with straight line winds over 80 mph. Over a 1,000 trees were uprooted and down all over town. Our plan would remain the same. After my photography shoot, we’d pack up and head out. Our plan was to trailer the motorcyle up with family in-tow in the truck. We’d arrive at his parent, settle in for a couple days. On Tuesday, the husband and I would take the motorcyle Up to the shore of Lake Superior, ferry over to Madeline Island- do some exploring and just relax and enjoy life. We get 10 miles from home and the first of many phone calls takes place.
Let me give you a little background. My in-laws are retired and now live in a trailer in a campground year-round in Northwest sticks of Wisconsin. Over 70% of the population are vacationers who camp or have cabins along the many lakes in the area. Most of the housing is RV’s. At 11 AM (Little man just fell asleep and the dog settles in ready for the 5-hour trip) we learn that the entire area has no power, the one grocery store has been raided of ice and bottled water from frantic people trying to figure out how to make it through the weekend. Rembmer it’s 4th of July weekend- the population quadrouples due to the number who come up to camp for the weekend. By the sounds of it, the power company has it’s work cut out for them and are giving estimates of 3-7 days before the power returns. So we make a few modifications to the plan- we make some phone calls to my family members and borrow a generator for the week. We get it loaded and are back on our way (12:45 PM).
About 20 minutes later, Brent pulls over on the highway. “I think I just blew a tire on the trailer.” It’s confirmed. Proceeds to change the tire- and I must say he was pretty speedy- everything said and done in 20 minutes. He returns to the truck. “We have a problem, the tire pressure on the trailer tires is REALLY low. We need to find a place to fill them ASAP. I don’t have another spare and we might blow the other tire any minute.” {Great} We are 10 miles out of the nearest city. The next exit is 2 miles up ahead, but from my knowledge they don’t have a gas station. Regardless we pull off and we pull into a boat repair shop- we get lucky. They are open and they have an air compressor. Back on the road at 1:30 PM.
We drive about 40 miles and little man wakes up and is ready to get out. He’s not happy! We decide to pull off and quick do a bathroom break and grab a snack at the McDonald’s (I know it’s not healthy but I can always count on having a changing area in the bathroom and sometimes even a play area to burn some energy). As we are unloading, Brent checks the trailer. The other trailer tire (the one that wasn’t replaced) has no berrings (I’m not very automotive-parts-savvy), basically the wheel is about to fall off. It’s now almost 2:30 PM on Saturday of a Holiday weekend. Any automotive parts store that might have been open, is now closed or close to it. We spend over an hour at McDonald’s while Brent tries to get the parts to fix it himself. Thankfully this is one of the McDonald’s with a playground. Little Man is content. On a normal day we are a little over an hour from home. The trailer will not make it very far, nor are we having any luck trying to fix it yet today. We order some food, ponder life, I walk the dog, little man continues to play. We decide to ditch the trailer. Brent will ride the motorcycle the rest of the way and we’ll hope that the trailer will be in teh parking lot when we return. This means I will have Little Man and Diesel in the truck by myself for the remainder of the trip (almost 4 hours). Caleb already took a 2 hour nap, and usually that’s all he’s good for. I also had surgery on my right shoulder almost 2 months ago and far from mobile when it comes to reaching out to the side or front. So we turn the passenger airbag off, move little mans car seat to the front and we hit the road AGAIN (Time is now 3:45 PM).
The drive goes on with little excitement. Little man seems pretty content looking out the windows, eating puff corn. Sometimes as parents we make poor decisions with our children in order for our sanity to take priority. I would let little man have anything he wanted on that ride, as long as I could reach it. At one point I literally prayed that we wouldn’t run out of puff corn. Not one of my proudest mommy moments, but I was desperate at this point just to get there. I already worry about my husband on the motorcyle as it is, with the batting record we were pulling, nervous would have been an under-statement. Within 45 minute of driving, Little Man falls asleep and life almost seems peaceful. I guess I spoke too soon. As he we hit the split to head north (opposed to the westward direction we had been traveling) I notice a state trooper flying up behind me weaving in an out of the lanes. I slightly panic. Occupying a dog, & Child while driving alone is task by itself. Add the driving with one arm dimension and I fear that I may not have had the best driving skills. I begin to slow down, figuring out how to keep the 100-lb dog in the backseat calm as a stranger approaches the car, which would then wake little man up in a screaming terror. As I slow he goes around me and pulls directly in front of me- pulling my husband over. I slow and pull over in front of them- thankfully I reminded my husband to grab the cell phone before ditching us in the truck so I could at least talk to him quick since the officer returned to his vehicle. I should mention that anytime we slow or come to a stop, Diesel thinks it’s time to get out. He’s beginning to pace and whine. I decide to go up ahead to our typical Wal-mart stop as we need to start hoarding “no-power supplies” such as ice, gallons of water, matches, candles, I even pick up some solar lights for outside. We are all awake and eager to get out. I put Diesel on a leash and we walk over to the grassy walkway area at the back of the parking lot. Brent meets up with us a few minutes later. We head in to get all the goods. One problem- no ice. We are almost 100 miles away from out final destination, and with all the chaos up north they ran out of ice at 3 PM, it’s 6:30 PM. They provide a couple recommendations and we start this fabulous little scavenger hunt. Luckily we were successful nearby and buy 40 lbs of ice.
The last leg of the trip is never my favorite- especially this time of night. It’s north woods at dusk, which meant the wildlife head to the streets. Amazingly little man falls asleep one more time and I feel pretty darn lucky. We arrive at our destination at 8:45 PM (almost 10 hours later, what’s typically 5 hours) unscathed, just added a generator and lost a trailer. Within minute we hook up the generator to the water pump and freezer, and his in-laws are pleased to flush the toilet for the first time in 24 hours. Several had already attempted bathing in the river or reverted to baby wipes- so the thought of a shower seemed like a delicacy.
While our vacation was far from our expectations, my in-laws were grateful for the help as we cut up the 10 down trees- one that damaged the roof, hauled and burned tons of brush, and baked in the 90 temps while working. I will say the 1 1/2-day getaway was blissful. My husband surprised me and rented a cottage on the lake with whirlpool tub. Kind of high class for my tent camping standards. It was so delightful- Bayfield, Wisconsin is an absolutely gorgeous area. Kind of Door County without the fluff is how I’d describe it if you are familiar. I have a few posts coming to acquaint you
Thanks to the online hospitality of Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous. I was able to participate in the Handmade Gift Exchange. Every person gets matched up with a partner and has 1 month to make a gift and send it to their partner. There are no real rules…the door is wide open to create whatever you wish. With that I bring you my homemade creation.
My Partner was Debbie from Ohio, who described her self as a 60-year-old who refuses to grow up. In getting to know her she really enjoys her time with the grandkids. So I decide to make “Grandma’s Boredom Buster.“ You may have seen ideas like this before, a jar full of ideas to fight the summer boredom blues while the kids are home from school. I created a document (2 columns) with all sorts of arts & crafts ideas, free activities (like having a picnic in the living room), and research her local chamber of commerce for ideas of places to visit as a tourist. I printed them all out on colored cardstock, leaving a few blank for a free-choice or to allow her grandkids to come up with a few more.
The container was an old christmas cookie tin that I rescued from the trash. I spray painted the outside with Heritage White Rustoleum paint. Then lined the outside with some funky ribbon and added the title to the cover. I found that tacky glue with a dab of E-6000 worked the best to keep the ribbon on the tin.
The title was created in word with a circle shape, add a text box, print, cut out, and adhere. I used scrapbook adhesive so it wouldn’t seep through the paper.
I also added a few homemade stamped note cards inside. In return I received a mini-decorated-board book and bottle cap magnets, adorably wrapped in white tissue paper with a pink rosette ribbon and lime green stretchy bow
Thanks to Linda for hosting this fun little party. I believe the next one will be in November for a fun homemade Christmas exchange! To see all of the gifts, head to homemade gift exchange linky party to see what was sent and received!
I know I missed the 16 month landmark- but you’ll have to forgive me. We were on a less that spectacular vacation (see Christmas Vacation post for more details).
If I could sum up this month in one word it would be whirlwind. This past month has been so fun and crazy all rolled into one. While you are generally mellow and laid back, you have developed quite an attitude and you know how to use it. There are days that I want to scream, yet sometimes it takes everything in me to not laugh at your crazy antics.
Much like 15 months, your food selections are pretty slim. The monumental moment was the day you ate a whole chicken nugget. Hallelujah, right?! You also tried a fresh pea pod, but discovered the peas fly pretty far when you whip them across the room. Let’s say Diesel is getting a little bit of a weight problem- but at least he tends to a dirty floor. Cereal is still a staple- only now it’s in a bowl with milk and several attempts to use your spoon.
You amaze me everyday. Your little brain is like a sponge soaking up new things all around you. I could go on forever about all the little things this month. I try to remind myself everyday to recognize and pay attention to all these little details. You know your stuff. You can point to identify people, shapes, colors and some animals. While the floor in every room of the house bookshelf holds most of your preferred “toys”, the shape cube (you know the thing that you can drop the shape blocks into) is a close second. Your dad and I offer the 3 blocks for the side facing him, and you are able to match the shapes. Being the goofy and happy boy that you are, every time you get it right we cheer with a gleeful “yay” and clap. New tonight you added “Moo” to your vocabulary- what can I say, we are a wisconsinites (Your work grandpa Zen would be proud)! We are able to ask simple commands like, “Can mom have a cracker?” and you’ll play fetch. Speaking of fetch, you LOVE to play fetch with Diesel and get frustrated when he doesn’t follow the rules. Sharing this makes me realize how many goofy things I need to get on video!
One of my favorite developments this month is your ability to identify body parts. Here’s a test, “Where’s your tongue?” (with a little bit of breakfast too)
Summer weather is upon and you have shown me your affinity for water and then dirt (or sand). From a drinking fountain to a kiddie pool, If you spot water, you’re in it. I have also learned that dirt and sand are the next best thing and tend to act like a magnets to little boys. It’s next to impossible to keep you dry and clean these days.
Sometimes it’s impossible for me to stay clean and dry in watching you. To you water was meant to be splashed.
On Sunday night during bath time we had a huge mess on the bathroom floor. As mom turned away to grab a towel to dry the floor, I turned back to find you dumping the bucket of water we use to wash your hair all over the floor. The bath mat and towel already down were soaked. How did you respond? With a gleeful cheer and rapid clapping. Recognizing I wasn’t as cheerful you immediately changed your response to a stoic look and responded with “uh-oh.” How does one keep a straight face to that!
If I could ask for one thing this next month (and maybe the rest of your life), is just a tad more fear. While you certainly aren’t a rebel, I’m seeing more of your adventurous side emerge. For example, jumping off your rocking chair…I’m really proud that you can jump and glad that you have the confidence to attempt such things, but maybe we could master jumping on the ground first (which is ridiculously hilarious to watch).
I have many more things to share, but to pull the post to an end I need to recognize the love you have for your dad. While I didn’t post about it on this blog, mommy’s shoulder surgery in May really put a crimp into our routine and dad stepped up to take care of us. You two have developed a stronger bond that sometimes makes me jealous. He now MUST put you to bed or you scream “DADADA” in a helpless tyrant. But you also search the house for him, or run to the door when he arrives home. You love to help him with whatever he might be working on, such as laying the stones in the garden path. You have grown to trust him and know that he will protect you and care for you and I, and you still know when it’s time to wrap him around your finger to play!
I can’t say it enough, I feel so blessed to be your mom. Your expressions, knowledge and even your attitude make me appreciate each day. You are a gift that I couldn’t be more grateful to receive.
I snuck on tonight to update with a fun little post about my latest creation and noticed I hit the 40,000 viewers mark. Considering this is completely a hobby and creative outlet, I was pretty impressed. Throughout the life of this blog, things have ebbed and flowed. Wedding planning kicked this blog into high gear a few years ago, then a vacation, pregnancy, and now life with little man. I have occasionally let my creativity show with scrapbooking, photography, decorating, crafting, other various DIY projects.
So with this post I’d like to say thank you to my many readers, of whom many I’ve never met, for “hanging out” with me. So first the announcement. I have decided that my creative life needs a place and while I do sneak it in here from now and then it seems a bit too random. This blog was created and always intended for me. It’s been an ever-growing journal of life that I can reflect come back to remind myself later how it once was. I’ve used my blog to help track things in our life that eventually make their way into a scrapbook. Starting July 18, 2011 most of my creative juices will be featured at Fostering a Creative Life (fosteringacreativelife.com)
So quick, jump over to my new site for my very first giveaway! It’s hip, it’s beachy and totally functional
I’m alive. Well kind of. Between a vacation that should have been filmed with Chevy Chase, the ongoing therapy appointments to rehab my shoulder, a broken nose incident, and possibly the busiest summer at my “real job” added to the summer surge of photography shoots, I’m still breathing.
I opened my Google reader tonight and noticed the 1000+ unread posts. Whew.
With all that said there are big things in the making over here.
Starting Sunday, July 18th you can expect a whirlwind of activity. Seriously, you are going to want to come back!
There are few things my son will eat. Can you guess which 1, of the 5 things he’ll eat, is his favorite?
Chocolate pudding (along with total cereal, corn puffs, popcorn and yogurt if we’re lucky). This is not the diet I want him eat. We are trying a few things to broaden his food horizons. He gets 3 different foods at every meal- one always being something bland like cereal or crackers, the others being something we are eating. We try to include him in all of our meals, and other than a few moments to tend to him, we try to not pay him too much attention while eating. I’m finding that if I watch him eat and ask him to try things he’s less likely to try the food. If we ignore him he at least takes a few bites without us “noticing.” He’s a bit of an entertainer- bedtime is another whole story that I’m too frustrated to appreciate at this point.
