our beautiful tree--his name was oliver this year...
under the tree christmas morning.
ready for church..
27 December, 2011
christmas morning
a glimspe of our christmas day
our beautiful tree--his name was oliver this year...
under the tree christmas morning.
ready for church..
our beautiful tree--his name was oliver this year...
under the tree christmas morning.
ready for church..
24 December, 2011
22 December, 2011
16 December, 2011
14 December, 2011
what's in a name
A lot of people have asked us where we got Ruby's name..
The simple answer?
We liked it.
Ruby is not a family name or have any significant meaning to us. When we looked for a name we wanted it to be short, succint, different (but not crazy) pronouncable, not in the top 20, (preferably not in the top 100) and all with a little zest and spunk :)
That was pretty much the criteria for Levi's name as well.
hence. Ruby.
Kathleen was a simple choice and was decided on long before Ruby was decided upon. Kathleen is my Mom's name. We knew we wanted a family name, (and one from my family since James (Levi's middle name) came from Mike's family) and once we found out it was a girl it was an easy decision.
Her full name is
Ruby Kathleen Carley Youngman
We chose to carry on Carley with Levi and we chose to do the same with her.
So there ya go... how we chose her name. :)
The simple answer?
We liked it.
Ruby is not a family name or have any significant meaning to us. When we looked for a name we wanted it to be short, succint, different (but not crazy) pronouncable, not in the top 20, (preferably not in the top 100) and all with a little zest and spunk :)
That was pretty much the criteria for Levi's name as well.
hence. Ruby.
Kathleen was a simple choice and was decided on long before Ruby was decided upon. Kathleen is my Mom's name. We knew we wanted a family name, (and one from my family since James (Levi's middle name) came from Mike's family) and once we found out it was a girl it was an easy decision.
Her full name is
Ruby Kathleen Carley Youngman
We chose to carry on Carley with Levi and we chose to do the same with her.
So there ya go... how we chose her name. :)
12 December, 2011
1 week already
We're settling into a routine a bit, and feeling more than blessed welcoming Ruby into our home. Mike had all of last week off, and today I started flyin' solo.
Ruby is doing really really well.
At just over a week old she is a serious sleeping champion. She often gives us one good 4 hour stretch at night. I feel great sleep wise on that. That's normally followed up by about a 2 hour stretch and another 2-3 hour stretch, but that puts us directly into 6 or so which is when we get up for the day, or earlier depending on our early early morning kiddo who this morning crawled into bed with us at 5:20.
At her drs. appointment on Thursday she was back to 8lbs 8oz, so closing back in on her birth weight.
She is a nursing champ, she was out of the gate, and has continued to be so for me, which is such a blessing as well. Levi was such a hard nurser, it's nice that it's easier this time around. (but maybe it's just that i'm experienced this time)
Levi seems to be handling the change fairly well. The first couple of days he didn't want me to snuggle him at all, only Mike, but he's okay with Mama snuggles now. He seems semi-interested in her, but for the most part doesn't do too much with her. He asks to hold her now and then, and if you ask him about her he'll say two things
Baby Ruby... we got her from the hospital!
Baby Ruby... she drinks milk.
In exciting events we had a birthday party for her at home. We had told Levi that it was going to be Ruby's birthday, well in a 2 yr olds mind that means one thing... CAKE! So, Saturday morning, Mike and Levi made a cake and the frosting from the scratch and we threw a small birthday party for her (mostly for Levi) :)
This week will be a busy one for us. I've known this was coming for a long time, but I will be working and playing for some Christmas concerts this week. I have 3 Christmas concerts to play for, as well as rehearsals to attend. I'm thankful that each one is only about a 1-2 hour commitment, and for the rehearsals I'll take Ruby with me. Mike will stay home with both Levi and Ruby for the concerts. It's going to be a hard week in that realm, but we knew when we found out I was pregnant that we would be up against this week.
The directors have been more than accomadating and have really worked with me to keep rehearsals to a minimum. I'm thankful for that, and thankful for their willingness to still hire me when they could easily find someone else who could be there for longer or for more rehearsals.
Back to real life :)
Ruby is doing really really well.
At just over a week old she is a serious sleeping champion. She often gives us one good 4 hour stretch at night. I feel great sleep wise on that. That's normally followed up by about a 2 hour stretch and another 2-3 hour stretch, but that puts us directly into 6 or so which is when we get up for the day, or earlier depending on our early early morning kiddo who this morning crawled into bed with us at 5:20.
At her drs. appointment on Thursday she was back to 8lbs 8oz, so closing back in on her birth weight.
She is a nursing champ, she was out of the gate, and has continued to be so for me, which is such a blessing as well. Levi was such a hard nurser, it's nice that it's easier this time around. (but maybe it's just that i'm experienced this time)
Levi seems to be handling the change fairly well. The first couple of days he didn't want me to snuggle him at all, only Mike, but he's okay with Mama snuggles now. He seems semi-interested in her, but for the most part doesn't do too much with her. He asks to hold her now and then, and if you ask him about her he'll say two things
Baby Ruby... we got her from the hospital!
Baby Ruby... she drinks milk.
In exciting events we had a birthday party for her at home. We had told Levi that it was going to be Ruby's birthday, well in a 2 yr olds mind that means one thing... CAKE! So, Saturday morning, Mike and Levi made a cake and the frosting from the scratch and we threw a small birthday party for her (mostly for Levi) :)
This week will be a busy one for us. I've known this was coming for a long time, but I will be working and playing for some Christmas concerts this week. I have 3 Christmas concerts to play for, as well as rehearsals to attend. I'm thankful that each one is only about a 1-2 hour commitment, and for the rehearsals I'll take Ruby with me. Mike will stay home with both Levi and Ruby for the concerts. It's going to be a hard week in that realm, but we knew when we found out I was pregnant that we would be up against this week.
The directors have been more than accomadating and have really worked with me to keep rehearsals to a minimum. I'm thankful for that, and thankful for their willingness to still hire me when they could easily find someone else who could be there for longer or for more rehearsals.
Back to real life :)
06 December, 2011
Ruby Kathleen
We are pleased to introduce our newest addition...
Ruby Kathleen
born @10:23am
8 lbs 11 oz
20 1\2 inches
Levi is the proud big brother!
Ruby Kathleen
born @10:23am
8 lbs 11 oz
20 1\2 inches
Levi is the proud big brother!
01 December, 2011
big brother
My dear precious baby, no. BIG boy.
How is it that tomorrow you will be a big brother? You have held my heart my sweet kiddo, for nearly 3 years. We have spent nearly every day together, you and I. We know the good, the bad, and the ugly. We know how to laugh together, we know how to drive each other crazy. We K.N.O.W. each other. My heart is filled with indescribable love for you. I can't wait to see who you will become. You're smart, (boy do you love to talk) funny in a crowd, you love letters, trains, playing outside, and anything that involves rough-housing with Papa. We both love you baby, and tomorrow? Tomorrow you'll add a new title to your role.
BIG brother.
That word brings so many implications. The things you will be able to teach her, and show her, and perhaps hit her with, the possibilities are endless! I know that instinctively you'll protect her and love her fiercly as only big brothers can do. I can't wait for you, dear one, to fall into that role tomorrow. I don't doubt there will be moments of frustration from you when you want Mama as always, but I also know there will be moments of great joy as you fall in love with your sister, just as your Mama and Papa have.
We love you big monkey.
How is it that tomorrow you will be a big brother? You have held my heart my sweet kiddo, for nearly 3 years. We have spent nearly every day together, you and I. We know the good, the bad, and the ugly. We know how to laugh together, we know how to drive each other crazy. We K.N.O.W. each other. My heart is filled with indescribable love for you. I can't wait to see who you will become. You're smart, (boy do you love to talk) funny in a crowd, you love letters, trains, playing outside, and anything that involves rough-housing with Papa. We both love you baby, and tomorrow? Tomorrow you'll add a new title to your role.
BIG brother.
That word brings so many implications. The things you will be able to teach her, and show her, and perhaps hit her with, the possibilities are endless! I know that instinctively you'll protect her and love her fiercly as only big brothers can do. I can't wait for you, dear one, to fall into that role tomorrow. I don't doubt there will be moments of frustration from you when you want Mama as always, but I also know there will be moments of great joy as you fall in love with your sister, just as your Mama and Papa have.
We love you big monkey.
30 November, 2011
40+
Well our due date came and went, not really to my surprise. I was a week late with Levi, so it wasn't really shocking to me. I do feel like I"m having a lot more contractions, sometimes they're strong enough and consistent enough that I think
MAYBE???
and then just as soon as I think that, they go away.
She has from now until Friday morning to make her appearance on her own, or I will be in for a c-section. If you think of it, would you pray that everything goes just the way the Lord has ordained it? I've so badly wanted a VBAC this time around, but with each day that passes, I feel like my odds are slipping away. Sometimes I'm okay with it (like yesterday morning as I bolted out of bed at 4 am to puke and thought I'm SO done), and other days, I'm a little disappointed in the way things feel like they are turning out... though she could still surprise us. :)
Today the world was blanketed with a beautiful white snow. Everything was coated with beauty and grace, and the world felt like it stood still for a few hours this morning. Freshly fallen snow always reminds me of the Lord's grace in our lives, covering up the ugly, the downtrodden, and presenting us anew to our savior.. What a great picture of the Lord directing us again to His love and glory.
MAYBE???
and then just as soon as I think that, they go away.
She has from now until Friday morning to make her appearance on her own, or I will be in for a c-section. If you think of it, would you pray that everything goes just the way the Lord has ordained it? I've so badly wanted a VBAC this time around, but with each day that passes, I feel like my odds are slipping away. Sometimes I'm okay with it (like yesterday morning as I bolted out of bed at 4 am to puke and thought I'm SO done), and other days, I'm a little disappointed in the way things feel like they are turning out... though she could still surprise us. :)
Today the world was blanketed with a beautiful white snow. Everything was coated with beauty and grace, and the world felt like it stood still for a few hours this morning. Freshly fallen snow always reminds me of the Lord's grace in our lives, covering up the ugly, the downtrodden, and presenting us anew to our savior.. What a great picture of the Lord directing us again to His love and glory.
24 November, 2011
change of season....
Up until last week we were heading to Mike's parents for Thanksgiving. Then I asked my OB about traveling, and he wasn't too thrilled with the idea of me traveling that far. Mike and I spent some time talking about it, and in the end decided we'd stay here. So, plans changed, and we ended up having everyone over to our house. All I had to do was set the table and have a clean house. My mom did all the cooking and brought it. Now that's a deal friends! :) We enjoyed a lovely afternoon of eating too much, going on a nice walk, and playing at the park. We're settling in for the night now, knowing that for many people, they are starting the rampant race to the stores...
and yet,
Tonight, I find myself wanting a quiet peace, as we settle in for what will soon be the start of Advent, as we wait and prepare for the coming birth of our Savior. Maybe my keen awareness of waiting is that we are waiting... waiting expectantly and maybe not so patiently for our daughter to arrive. She will be here before we know it, and I'm well aware of that with every kick to my ribs, and jab to my bladder.
How Mary must have felt in those final days before Jesus was born, knowing that she was carrying the King, that she had been chosen to be His mother..How she must have felt..
excited? terrified? unsure? awestruck?
May the beginning of your holiday season be a time of peace and of love, as we remind ourselves that we are still waiting, this time for the second return of our Savior, to see his Kingdom completed.
and yet,
Tonight, I find myself wanting a quiet peace, as we settle in for what will soon be the start of Advent, as we wait and prepare for the coming birth of our Savior. Maybe my keen awareness of waiting is that we are waiting... waiting expectantly and maybe not so patiently for our daughter to arrive. She will be here before we know it, and I'm well aware of that with every kick to my ribs, and jab to my bladder.
How Mary must have felt in those final days before Jesus was born, knowing that she was carrying the King, that she had been chosen to be His mother..How she must have felt..
excited? terrified? unsure? awestruck?
May the beginning of your holiday season be a time of peace and of love, as we remind ourselves that we are still waiting, this time for the second return of our Savior, to see his Kingdom completed.
23 November, 2011
fridge folly
Because it's more fun the day before thanksgiving.
Tuesday night, I noticed our fridge seemed warmer than normal. It was still kicking on, but it just didn't seem cold enough to me. We ran to the store and bought a fridge thermometer to check the temp. This morning, our fridge was reading 48.
Now after 24 hours of good ol' google, I've learned that your fridge needs to read between 30-40 degrees, amongst many other food safety issues. So, this morning we called our landlord to get the problem fixed.
9:30 original meet n greet. He looks at fridge, tinkers with a couple of things, puts his thermometer in to read, just in case mine is bad, and says call in 2 hours if nothing changes. nothing changed.
second call.
1:15.. second visit. He tinkers with a few more things, including fixing the ice maker which I could really care less about and says to call in 2 hours if nothing changes. nothing changed.
third call. manager says it will be replaced tonight.
I'm out for a walk with a friend and her two kiddos... we head home.
chaos erupts.
Levi and his friend are playing, and break a picture frame, glass everywhere, and Levi crying because he's got a giant gash in his hand. I'm in the bathroom tending to Levi, and my friend is sweeping up glass in the offending area.
after chaos calms down, Ingrid said she heard someone say "hello?" while we were dealing with everything. I can only assume it was fridge man coming back, but said nothing more and left.
so now here we sit.... 6pm thanksgiving eve, my fridge is still is reading above 40, and we now can't get ahold of the manager via the "emergency" cell number that we have.
Did I mention we're having everyone over here for thanksgiving tomorrow??
some days just seem harder than others.
Tuesday night, I noticed our fridge seemed warmer than normal. It was still kicking on, but it just didn't seem cold enough to me. We ran to the store and bought a fridge thermometer to check the temp. This morning, our fridge was reading 48.
Now after 24 hours of good ol' google, I've learned that your fridge needs to read between 30-40 degrees, amongst many other food safety issues. So, this morning we called our landlord to get the problem fixed.
9:30 original meet n greet. He looks at fridge, tinkers with a couple of things, puts his thermometer in to read, just in case mine is bad, and says call in 2 hours if nothing changes. nothing changed.
second call.
1:15.. second visit. He tinkers with a few more things, including fixing the ice maker which I could really care less about and says to call in 2 hours if nothing changes. nothing changed.
third call. manager says it will be replaced tonight.
I'm out for a walk with a friend and her two kiddos... we head home.
chaos erupts.
Levi and his friend are playing, and break a picture frame, glass everywhere, and Levi crying because he's got a giant gash in his hand. I'm in the bathroom tending to Levi, and my friend is sweeping up glass in the offending area.
after chaos calms down, Ingrid said she heard someone say "hello?" while we were dealing with everything. I can only assume it was fridge man coming back, but said nothing more and left.
so now here we sit.... 6pm thanksgiving eve, my fridge is still is reading above 40, and we now can't get ahold of the manager via the "emergency" cell number that we have.
Did I mention we're having everyone over here for thanksgiving tomorrow??
some days just seem harder than others.
39 weeks and counting
Well, today at my appointment everything looked fine. I am feeling a bit defeated knowing that if nothing happens on it's own between now and next friday, I've got nothing but a c-section in front of me. Dr. M is not even planning on seeing me next week, he just plans to see me for my C. He asked if I had any questions about the C, I told him that I didn't want it, and he said, well besides that, I already know that much...
oh and he told me I had cankles... nice, dude, nice. :) He wasn't being mean, but it was funny. I said, yea it's funny when it's not your legs now isn't... and he said.. true, i'd be worried if they were mine :)
I guess the only bright side in all of this is that if nothing else in 9 days, we will be holding our sweet and precious baby girl... and that friends is something to be excited about, no matter how she makes her appearance. So baby girl? If you're listening... know how very much we love you and how much we can't wait to hold you in 9 short days. We're counting the days til we meet you.
oh and he told me I had cankles... nice, dude, nice. :) He wasn't being mean, but it was funny. I said, yea it's funny when it's not your legs now isn't... and he said.. true, i'd be worried if they were mine :)
I guess the only bright side in all of this is that if nothing else in 9 days, we will be holding our sweet and precious baby girl... and that friends is something to be excited about, no matter how she makes her appearance. So baby girl? If you're listening... know how very much we love you and how much we can't wait to hold you in 9 short days. We're counting the days til we meet you.
17 November, 2011
38 weeks
I had my OB appt this morning, and really if I'm being honest, I was dreading it. I was up in the night stressing about it. I realize this is ridiciulous, but it's all I've been thinking about.
However today I learned that it pays to have a friend in L&D.
When he walked in this morning he said.. you've been talking to J haven't you?? I said, uh.. maybe? and he laughed, and said J gave me her big speech about a patient of mine and I immediately knew it was you even though she wouldn't tell me who it was, and I smiled a little because he was listening
so we stand here. and i'm feeling okay with it.
he respects my desire for a vbac.
1) If I dialate to a 2-3 in the next couple weeks he will induce me and let me try naturally.
2) He is also willing to wait until after my EDD to schedule a C... right now it's scheduled for Dec. 2.
3) He said if i go into labor on my own, he'll let me labor so that's great news as well...
Right now I'm feeling peaceful about those decisions and feeling like while it's not 100% what I was hoping for, I feel like we've compromised well....
now to get this baby movin' on her own :)
However today I learned that it pays to have a friend in L&D.
When he walked in this morning he said.. you've been talking to J haven't you?? I said, uh.. maybe? and he laughed, and said J gave me her big speech about a patient of mine and I immediately knew it was you even though she wouldn't tell me who it was, and I smiled a little because he was listening
so we stand here. and i'm feeling okay with it.
he respects my desire for a vbac.
1) If I dialate to a 2-3 in the next couple weeks he will induce me and let me try naturally.
2) He is also willing to wait until after my EDD to schedule a C... right now it's scheduled for Dec. 2.
3) He said if i go into labor on my own, he'll let me labor so that's great news as well...
Right now I'm feeling peaceful about those decisions and feeling like while it's not 100% what I was hoping for, I feel like we've compromised well....
now to get this baby movin' on her own :)
09 November, 2011
37 weeks
37 weeks.
I knew it was coming. I absolutely 100% called the conversation I"d have with my OB today.. your baby is measuring big you should have a c-section.... I told myself repeatedly it was coming. And yet still, it catches me off guard.
He told me today he is strongly advising a repeat C. He doesn't want it to become an emergency situation etc etc, and I understand where he is coming from. I really do, but I also want him to understand where I'm coming from.
I called a friend who works in L&D to get her advice, and in her sage wisdom she told me these things..
1) The baby IS measuring big... even if you take off a 1.5 pounds, she's still "big" for her gestation.
2) In my fit of frustration, I considered jumping ship on my OB this morning, she said that really, where we live, jumping ship isn't an option. She said there is not another OB that would take me at 37 weeks. bottom line. At some point the drs have to "circle the wagons" and trust each other's judgement, and if they let people switch around like that at the end it would get too chaotic. And really.. I don't want to switch OB's this late in the game.
3) She suggested I agree to a C, but only on the terms that it be scheduled after my due date. Her thought being that A) that semi-appeases my OB, and B) gives me a good shot at going into labor on my own. If I reach said c-section date, then I"ll have a C.. no questions or complaints on my end. Meanwhile do everything I can to help naturally induce labor etc... anyone up for a good long walk??
4) Sit and pray on it for a while, talk with Mike, and feel peace about whatever decision we make.
So thats where we are. Truly, praying for wisdom, that the Lord will direct us in which way we should go.
Meanwhile, I've got some christmas shopping to finish up.... ;)
I knew it was coming. I absolutely 100% called the conversation I"d have with my OB today.. your baby is measuring big you should have a c-section.... I told myself repeatedly it was coming. And yet still, it catches me off guard.
He told me today he is strongly advising a repeat C. He doesn't want it to become an emergency situation etc etc, and I understand where he is coming from. I really do, but I also want him to understand where I'm coming from.
I called a friend who works in L&D to get her advice, and in her sage wisdom she told me these things..
1) The baby IS measuring big... even if you take off a 1.5 pounds, she's still "big" for her gestation.
2) In my fit of frustration, I considered jumping ship on my OB this morning, she said that really, where we live, jumping ship isn't an option. She said there is not another OB that would take me at 37 weeks. bottom line. At some point the drs have to "circle the wagons" and trust each other's judgement, and if they let people switch around like that at the end it would get too chaotic. And really.. I don't want to switch OB's this late in the game.
3) She suggested I agree to a C, but only on the terms that it be scheduled after my due date. Her thought being that A) that semi-appeases my OB, and B) gives me a good shot at going into labor on my own. If I reach said c-section date, then I"ll have a C.. no questions or complaints on my end. Meanwhile do everything I can to help naturally induce labor etc... anyone up for a good long walk??
4) Sit and pray on it for a while, talk with Mike, and feel peace about whatever decision we make.
So thats where we are. Truly, praying for wisdom, that the Lord will direct us in which way we should go.
Meanwhile, I've got some christmas shopping to finish up.... ;)
07 November, 2011
sweet moments
There are moments where I think Levi is just going to pummel this baby... His speeds are sleeping and wild.
and then there are moments where I realize all will be ok.
Today a friend of mine came over with her 2 yr old son and her just 2 weeks old little baby. As they were leaving, Levi was checking out the baby in the car seat, I was showing him his hands, nose etc...
Just as quickly as he checked him out, he took off.
What he went to do made this 37 week pregnant mama want to cry.
He went to her bedroom, and brought out a small tie fleece blanket that we made last week together. When we made it I talk to him about how we were making it for baby sister. He brought it out, and ever so gently, covered Jonathan up with the blanket.
It was then that I knew he was going to instantly fall in love with his baby sister, just as his Mama and Papa already are.
We're ready baby girl, please come join our family!
and then there are moments where I realize all will be ok.
Today a friend of mine came over with her 2 yr old son and her just 2 weeks old little baby. As they were leaving, Levi was checking out the baby in the car seat, I was showing him his hands, nose etc...
Just as quickly as he checked him out, he took off.
What he went to do made this 37 week pregnant mama want to cry.
He went to her bedroom, and brought out a small tie fleece blanket that we made last week together. When we made it I talk to him about how we were making it for baby sister. He brought it out, and ever so gently, covered Jonathan up with the blanket.
It was then that I knew he was going to instantly fall in love with his baby sister, just as his Mama and Papa already are.
We're ready baby girl, please come join our family!
03 November, 2011
leaves!
the other day we ventured out for some leaf fun... it was all fun and games...
then my sweet sweet boy.... decided to do this...
please notice the smirk on his face...
mama got doused with leaves more than once
then my sweet sweet boy.... decided to do this...
please notice the smirk on his face...
mama got doused with leaves more than once
halloween
levi was a monkey for halloween.
he understood candy this year, life will never be the same.
we asked him what he wanted to carve on his pumpkin, and we knew his answer would be his current obsession... TRAINS! so very thankful that Mike is good at envisioning things like this!
behold the train pumpkin
he understood candy this year, life will never be the same.
we asked him what he wanted to carve on his pumpkin, and we knew his answer would be his current obsession... TRAINS! so very thankful that Mike is good at envisioning things like this!
behold the train pumpkin
02 November, 2011
36 weeks
"We won't stop you if you go into labor"
Those words, friends, are magical at this point in pregnancy, except that I'm sure nothing even remotely exciting in that area will happen, especially since he checked me today and I quote "hard and closed". nice, huh?
We followed today's OB appt up with an ultrasound to check positioning and growth etc. These are my stats
Based on ovulation I would say I'm about 35 weeks.
According to my LMP (and my OB), I'm 36
According to my ultrasound today, I'm measuring at 37 weeks 3 days.
She (and it's definitely a girl) is head down, 150bpm, and currently an approximate size of 7lbs 7oz. This is not encouraging. My OB feels strongly the reason I did not dialate last time was due to size. (Levi was 9 even). I've been rallying for a VBAC for a long time, and have finally convinced him to let me try, though I"m sure the results of this ultrasound are going to take us back to square one on that conversation.
I have to say that's a little disappointing? frustrating? I know what he'll say, and I know it's coming, and I have a week to figure out what to say\do about it. Do I just say I'm doing the VBAC, and if I have 24 hours of labor and end up with another repeat C, so be it? Do I say, let's go ahead with a C-section? I wish there were an easy answer. I do know I"ll be making a call to a dear friend who works in L&D today to get her thoughts on it.
Just continuing to pray for wisdom on this road.
We want to do what's best for her and for me.
Overall, I'm feeling ok.
still sick and puking? check
tired? check
feeling done? check
severe hip paint? check
trying to savor these precious moments as a family of 3? check
Those words, friends, are magical at this point in pregnancy, except that I'm sure nothing even remotely exciting in that area will happen, especially since he checked me today and I quote "hard and closed". nice, huh?
We followed today's OB appt up with an ultrasound to check positioning and growth etc. These are my stats
Based on ovulation I would say I'm about 35 weeks.
According to my LMP (and my OB), I'm 36
According to my ultrasound today, I'm measuring at 37 weeks 3 days.
She (and it's definitely a girl) is head down, 150bpm, and currently an approximate size of 7lbs 7oz. This is not encouraging. My OB feels strongly the reason I did not dialate last time was due to size. (Levi was 9 even). I've been rallying for a VBAC for a long time, and have finally convinced him to let me try, though I"m sure the results of this ultrasound are going to take us back to square one on that conversation.
I have to say that's a little disappointing? frustrating? I know what he'll say, and I know it's coming, and I have a week to figure out what to say\do about it. Do I just say I'm doing the VBAC, and if I have 24 hours of labor and end up with another repeat C, so be it? Do I say, let's go ahead with a C-section? I wish there were an easy answer. I do know I"ll be making a call to a dear friend who works in L&D today to get her thoughts on it.
Just continuing to pray for wisdom on this road.
We want to do what's best for her and for me.
Overall, I'm feeling ok.
still sick and puking? check
tired? check
feeling done? check
severe hip paint? check
trying to savor these precious moments as a family of 3? check
21 October, 2011
34 weeks
Sickness: yup. still getting sick on a regular basis. I'm over it to be honest with you.
Cravings: none, nada, zilch.
Weight: I've gained about 12lbs, which is pretty simliar to what it was with Levi.
Movement: She's moving quite a bit, but it's definitely getting smaller in there, which means it's more uncomfortable for me when she moves
Sleep: It's okay, I suppose. I actually slept quite well last night. I'm just tired most days now, and Levi's nap seems to be getting shorter and shorter and that makes me cringe a little.
Labor: VBAC... though I am scheduled to have an ultrasound in a couple weeks. He wants to make sure the baby's growth is ok. I think he's worried she'll be big like Levi, and he really doesn't want me to go through 24 hours o' labor and not go anywhere like last time.
Nesting: I think because I'm busy with work, I don't have time to think about tiny projects, though I keep finding myself buying things for the baby here and there that we need, and buying Christmas presents. I had to talk myself out of 3 additional purchases at Target today that would be for Christmas. I just want to get it all done, and I have zero interest in finding the best deal.
Feeling: Ready. I told my OB this week that I'd reached done status. now if only she would cooperate. :)
Cravings: none, nada, zilch.
Weight: I've gained about 12lbs, which is pretty simliar to what it was with Levi.
Movement: She's moving quite a bit, but it's definitely getting smaller in there, which means it's more uncomfortable for me when she moves
Sleep: It's okay, I suppose. I actually slept quite well last night. I'm just tired most days now, and Levi's nap seems to be getting shorter and shorter and that makes me cringe a little.
Labor: VBAC... though I am scheduled to have an ultrasound in a couple weeks. He wants to make sure the baby's growth is ok. I think he's worried she'll be big like Levi, and he really doesn't want me to go through 24 hours o' labor and not go anywhere like last time.
Nesting: I think because I'm busy with work, I don't have time to think about tiny projects, though I keep finding myself buying things for the baby here and there that we need, and buying Christmas presents. I had to talk myself out of 3 additional purchases at Target today that would be for Christmas. I just want to get it all done, and I have zero interest in finding the best deal.
Feeling: Ready. I told my OB this week that I'd reached done status. now if only she would cooperate. :)
29 September, 2011
glad to turn again...
This past weekend Mike and I traveled to Camp Barakel. A place that is very near and dear to my heart, and that is becoming that to my husbands. :)
Barakel is mainly a summer kids camp, but in the fall and spring they hold weekend retreats for men and women. They have ladies retreats, mens retreats, father\daughter retreats, and couples retreats. We have gone for several years now to the couples retreat in the fall. Because Barakel is designed as a summer camp, men and women have to lodge separately at camp. However, if you go in the fall, you can stay in their RV Park which means you can stay together. We always choose this option. :) It's just a bit more married that way.
After much debate, we decided to go and that this would also be our last "hurrah" before little miss arrives. We shipped Levi to the grandparentals and made the 4 hour drive north friday night.
We arrived in the rain.
This news is less than exciting when putting up a tent. Determined to have a good attitude we pulled in, and we're going to go gangbusters in setting up, just get it done, and hopefully not get too wet. As we began to unpack we realized we were missing a CRUCIAL piece to our tent. We searched for quite some time with our trusty flashlights and headlights on the car. After a valiant search, we determined we had to find another course of action.
We called our friends who live there on the resident staff to see if they could help us out at all. We knew we could stay in the lodges if need be, but we were really wanting to stay together in the RV Park. Dan told us he had a tent we could borrow, but couldn't get it to us until after chapel. No worries, we said, well take it.
Chapel came and went. As we came out of the building, we were met with TORRENTIAL downpour. I pretty much just wanted to give up at that moment. We walked back, and there was our vision of a friend, Dan, standing in the pouring rain, trying to put up the tent by himself. Mike jumped into action, and I proceeded with the wifely duty of sitting in the car, where I tried to turn on the headlights, only to realize we had killed our car battery. A.W.E.S.O.M.E. I watched as they struggled to get it up, in the dark, in the rain, and felt so badly for both of them getting SOAKED.
By the time the tent was up, there was literally a POOL of water inside of it. Dan got us some towels, and we sopped up what we could, and finally crashed into bed. It poured all night long. We stayed fairly dry, but we were misted on most of the night. Because the tent was wet on the underside of the rainfly, as the rain hit the fly, it just kind of tapped the excess water down into the tent.
I had to go to the bathroom around 4, so we braved it and headed to the bathhouse to discover 2 things.
1) the hub to our tent that we had been missing... shining like a beacon of light in our flashlight... really??
2) that our tent had a pool o' water in it, and clothes (namely the only bra i brought with me) was now floating in this pool of water.
So now, I trucked out again.. this time to the dryer in the RV park, throwing in a load of laundry to dry. yup.
May I just remind you this was our last nice weekend getaway before the baby comes??
Yea.
I was more than done at this point.
We survived until morning, took steaming hot showers, trekked ourselves to the dining hall for some hot coffee and hot breakfast, and things seemed a little better with the world.
All in all, by Saturday at lunch time, the skies cleared, the tent dried out, and truly.. we had a lovely time. We spent a ton of time on the lake, paddleboating, went for some walks, went down Thunder Express, curled up by a fire playing games, a beautiful night walk through the wood listening to owls hoot back and forth to each other, and enjoyed those conversations that remind you why you fell in love, and also, how lovely it is to have a conversation start to finish without the interruption of "mama, papa" over and over again. :)
I'm still feeling like we deserve one night at a hotel before the baby comes though ;) Overall it was good times, and good memories to be had.
Barakel is mainly a summer kids camp, but in the fall and spring they hold weekend retreats for men and women. They have ladies retreats, mens retreats, father\daughter retreats, and couples retreats. We have gone for several years now to the couples retreat in the fall. Because Barakel is designed as a summer camp, men and women have to lodge separately at camp. However, if you go in the fall, you can stay in their RV Park which means you can stay together. We always choose this option. :) It's just a bit more married that way.
After much debate, we decided to go and that this would also be our last "hurrah" before little miss arrives. We shipped Levi to the grandparentals and made the 4 hour drive north friday night.
We arrived in the rain.
This news is less than exciting when putting up a tent. Determined to have a good attitude we pulled in, and we're going to go gangbusters in setting up, just get it done, and hopefully not get too wet. As we began to unpack we realized we were missing a CRUCIAL piece to our tent. We searched for quite some time with our trusty flashlights and headlights on the car. After a valiant search, we determined we had to find another course of action.
We called our friends who live there on the resident staff to see if they could help us out at all. We knew we could stay in the lodges if need be, but we were really wanting to stay together in the RV Park. Dan told us he had a tent we could borrow, but couldn't get it to us until after chapel. No worries, we said, well take it.
Chapel came and went. As we came out of the building, we were met with TORRENTIAL downpour. I pretty much just wanted to give up at that moment. We walked back, and there was our vision of a friend, Dan, standing in the pouring rain, trying to put up the tent by himself. Mike jumped into action, and I proceeded with the wifely duty of sitting in the car, where I tried to turn on the headlights, only to realize we had killed our car battery. A.W.E.S.O.M.E. I watched as they struggled to get it up, in the dark, in the rain, and felt so badly for both of them getting SOAKED.
By the time the tent was up, there was literally a POOL of water inside of it. Dan got us some towels, and we sopped up what we could, and finally crashed into bed. It poured all night long. We stayed fairly dry, but we were misted on most of the night. Because the tent was wet on the underside of the rainfly, as the rain hit the fly, it just kind of tapped the excess water down into the tent.
I had to go to the bathroom around 4, so we braved it and headed to the bathhouse to discover 2 things.
1) the hub to our tent that we had been missing... shining like a beacon of light in our flashlight... really??
2) that our tent had a pool o' water in it, and clothes (namely the only bra i brought with me) was now floating in this pool of water.
So now, I trucked out again.. this time to the dryer in the RV park, throwing in a load of laundry to dry. yup.
May I just remind you this was our last nice weekend getaway before the baby comes??
Yea.
I was more than done at this point.
We survived until morning, took steaming hot showers, trekked ourselves to the dining hall for some hot coffee and hot breakfast, and things seemed a little better with the world.
All in all, by Saturday at lunch time, the skies cleared, the tent dried out, and truly.. we had a lovely time. We spent a ton of time on the lake, paddleboating, went for some walks, went down Thunder Express, curled up by a fire playing games, a beautiful night walk through the wood listening to owls hoot back and forth to each other, and enjoyed those conversations that remind you why you fell in love, and also, how lovely it is to have a conversation start to finish without the interruption of "mama, papa" over and over again. :)
I'm still feeling like we deserve one night at a hotel before the baby comes though ;) Overall it was good times, and good memories to be had.
32 weeks
8 weeks and counting.
I'm so thrilled to be in the last leg of this pregnancy. Oddly, while I've felt like time has flown by this pregnancy, and even though I'm back to work now, it seems like time has come to a creeping halt, and 8 weeks feels like an eternity at the moment. I'm ready to meet little miss.
So the decision is final at VBAC. I am really excited for this opportunity. (Someone remind me of that in labor, please) I'm thankful my OB is willing to let me try, even though, I can tell he's less than thrilled with my decision. I'm definitely saying that this baby will be born in December though now. ;) I just highly doubt I'll go early. Though, if you're listening baby girl, I'd be thrilled with that decision, as long as its not too early. (we ask so much, don't we?)
I'm feeling okay, just more and more uncomfortable. Getting harder to bend over, pick Levi up, pick up Levi's toys, you know, things like that.... but overall, I feel ok. Still sick here and there, but it's much much more manageable at this point.
We're in some serious organization mode here, trying to organize baby things, Levi's things, and find room for what is such a small object, yet has lots of big things that go with it :) If you've been to our home, you know we have a small home, that we really do love, but it's getting smaller by the day, as I try to figure out how to organize everything.
I'm so thrilled to be in the last leg of this pregnancy. Oddly, while I've felt like time has flown by this pregnancy, and even though I'm back to work now, it seems like time has come to a creeping halt, and 8 weeks feels like an eternity at the moment. I'm ready to meet little miss.
So the decision is final at VBAC. I am really excited for this opportunity. (Someone remind me of that in labor, please) I'm thankful my OB is willing to let me try, even though, I can tell he's less than thrilled with my decision. I'm definitely saying that this baby will be born in December though now. ;) I just highly doubt I'll go early. Though, if you're listening baby girl, I'd be thrilled with that decision, as long as its not too early. (we ask so much, don't we?)
I'm feeling okay, just more and more uncomfortable. Getting harder to bend over, pick Levi up, pick up Levi's toys, you know, things like that.... but overall, I feel ok. Still sick here and there, but it's much much more manageable at this point.
We're in some serious organization mode here, trying to organize baby things, Levi's things, and find room for what is such a small object, yet has lots of big things that go with it :) If you've been to our home, you know we have a small home, that we really do love, but it's getting smaller by the day, as I try to figure out how to organize everything.
28 September, 2011
experience
We finally heard official word that we did not get the job in Alpena. We suspected it was coming on various levels, but nonetheless it still stung, and hurts to once again be rejected because we lack experience that we can't get because no one will hire someone who doesn't have experience. Anyone else see the failed logic there?
Today we got word on another job with the same result, because of the same ol' tune we hear each and every time.... lack of experience...
and you know what?
It. Gets. Old.
I'm tired of hearing the pat answers of... in the Lord's time, etc etc. Please don't patronize me with your Christian-ese. While we know it is true, it gets old and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of watching my husband pour his heart into something, that he feels so strongly about, only to be told, yet again... that he doesn't have enough experience.
Today we got word on another job with the same result, because of the same ol' tune we hear each and every time.... lack of experience...
and you know what?
It. Gets. Old.
I'm tired of hearing the pat answers of... in the Lord's time, etc etc. Please don't patronize me with your Christian-ese. While we know it is true, it gets old and I'm tired of it. I'm tired of watching my husband pour his heart into something, that he feels so strongly about, only to be told, yet again... that he doesn't have enough experience.
12 September, 2011
29 weeks and counting
I thought I should get on the stick with writing things down about this pregnancy.. I apologize for being so pathetic about it. Something about being sick, and chasing around an energetic 2 1\2 yr old keeps me busy.
I'm currently 29 weeks and into that final 3rd trimester and down to every 2 weeks at the OB office
Sick: yes. Oddly, since my hospital stunt, it has not been as bad, but I still get sick on a fairly regular basis. This is pretty much the same as it was with Levi
Cravings: none, nada, zilch. this is also the same as Levi. Nothing really ever sounds good to me when I'm pregnant, I eat because I know I need to. end of story.
Weight: I've gained about 10lbs, which is pretty much spot on in comparison to Levi.
Movement: She is quite active during certain parts of the day, last night I'm pretty sure she did a full somersault which wasn't exactly comfortable for me. :)
Sleep: el-stinko. I haven't had the insomnia that I had with Levi, but I'm just not comfortable while sleeping anymore and switch positions 8,000 times a night.
Labor: really hoping to have a VBAC this time around, though continuing to fight for that with my OB, he says he's supportive, but I beg to differ. I've been having a lot more braxton hicks this time around, though it's hard to say if it's different, or that I'm just noticing them because I know what they are :)
I've moved slightly into that nesting mode, and I'm sure I will even more in the coming months
It's a GIRL.. and no we don't have a name picked out yet :)
I'm currently 29 weeks and into that final 3rd trimester and down to every 2 weeks at the OB office
Sick: yes. Oddly, since my hospital stunt, it has not been as bad, but I still get sick on a fairly regular basis. This is pretty much the same as it was with Levi
Cravings: none, nada, zilch. this is also the same as Levi. Nothing really ever sounds good to me when I'm pregnant, I eat because I know I need to. end of story.
Weight: I've gained about 10lbs, which is pretty much spot on in comparison to Levi.
Movement: She is quite active during certain parts of the day, last night I'm pretty sure she did a full somersault which wasn't exactly comfortable for me. :)
Sleep: el-stinko. I haven't had the insomnia that I had with Levi, but I'm just not comfortable while sleeping anymore and switch positions 8,000 times a night.
Labor: really hoping to have a VBAC this time around, though continuing to fight for that with my OB, he says he's supportive, but I beg to differ. I've been having a lot more braxton hicks this time around, though it's hard to say if it's different, or that I'm just noticing them because I know what they are :)
I've moved slightly into that nesting mode, and I'm sure I will even more in the coming months
It's a GIRL.. and no we don't have a name picked out yet :)
08 September, 2011
A job update
I thought I'd update on the job in Alpena.
Mostly the update is that we know nothing. :)
We spent that first weekend up there and then the next weekend, Mike and I went by ourselves. That second trip was good for being able to talk about things as they came up, while not chasing a 2 yr old around, as well as just some really good decompressing talk time on the way home, afterall it is 5 hours.
Overall? We really REALLY love Alpena. We love the town, we love the area, and really nothing in that area has been a deterent for us. In fact, Mike has also applied for a job over in the Ypsilatni area, and I have to say the thought of moving to Alpena is more exciting to me than Ypsilanti, even though we'd be much closer to family down here. I mean really? who says that they want to move to the middle of nowhere in northern michigan? We also have really enjoyed getting to know the people of the church. Really nice, down to earth people who love Jesus.
We certainly have some questions that we would like to ask of the congregation, just basic sort of.. where do you see this church going, what's your vision, strengths, weaknesses etc etc.. but we're hoping the time will come for those.
We are just kind of in wait mode right now. The church had a meeting last night to talk about the pastoral search process, and we can only assume, we were discussed at that meeting. I guess now, we just wait to hear if they still like us or not ;)
We're just continuing to trust and pray that the Lord is leading in all of this. We've really felt like He's been ahead of us in this whole process, and we're continuing to trust in that.
So that's where we are... in case you were wondering ;)
oh and if you can believe i'm in my 3rd! trimester now! how on earth did that happen?
Mostly the update is that we know nothing. :)
We spent that first weekend up there and then the next weekend, Mike and I went by ourselves. That second trip was good for being able to talk about things as they came up, while not chasing a 2 yr old around, as well as just some really good decompressing talk time on the way home, afterall it is 5 hours.
Overall? We really REALLY love Alpena. We love the town, we love the area, and really nothing in that area has been a deterent for us. In fact, Mike has also applied for a job over in the Ypsilatni area, and I have to say the thought of moving to Alpena is more exciting to me than Ypsilanti, even though we'd be much closer to family down here. I mean really? who says that they want to move to the middle of nowhere in northern michigan? We also have really enjoyed getting to know the people of the church. Really nice, down to earth people who love Jesus.
We certainly have some questions that we would like to ask of the congregation, just basic sort of.. where do you see this church going, what's your vision, strengths, weaknesses etc etc.. but we're hoping the time will come for those.
We are just kind of in wait mode right now. The church had a meeting last night to talk about the pastoral search process, and we can only assume, we were discussed at that meeting. I guess now, we just wait to hear if they still like us or not ;)
We're just continuing to trust and pray that the Lord is leading in all of this. We've really felt like He's been ahead of us in this whole process, and we're continuing to trust in that.
So that's where we are... in case you were wondering ;)
oh and if you can believe i'm in my 3rd! trimester now! how on earth did that happen?
17 August, 2011
the garden, the plague, and a trip.
The garden is IN.
see?
That's what I picked this morning at the garden, and there's another round right behind it. That basket is mostly tomatoes, with a few peppers at the bottom, one eggplant waiting to be devoured and a head of cabbage waiting to be some tasty coleslaw. :) I'm up to my eyeballs in tomatoes and canning, but I love it. I'm so thankful that the Lord provides for our needs in this way every summer, and I'm falling more and more in love with canning and preserving food for our family.
We're over our plague. oy. We were all quite sick, though I definitely had it the worst. I saw my OB on Monday, and everything looked good, just continue to rest and get better. I listened for about a halfday, and then overdid it and laid on the couch and let Levi watch cartoons the rest of the day. ;) Truly though, I'm feeling great now, eating normal food again, and thankful that we survived that nasty bug. I'd rather not visit labor and delivery again before miss thing makes her arrival.
We're going away this weekend. Mike has a "part 2" to a job interview. Back in early July, we got a phone call from a man that we could only call an aquaintance. He was a pastor at a church that we interviewed for a position at, shortly aftr Levi was born. He called and left a message on Mike's voicemail one afternoon, just asking how he was, and what he was doing, and to give him a call back. We thought it a bit odd. We had only met him and his wife, for a short time 2 years ago. We felt like we really connected with them, but it just wasn't the time or place for us. The next day, he called back again, before Mike had a chance to call him back.
He explained that he had been voted in as the new Superintendant of the East Michigan Conference in the Free Methodist Church. That's a lot of lingo if you don't understand FM world, but basically that means that he was now "in charge", or overseeing about 60 churches in Eastern Michigan. There was a need for a pastor at the Alpena FMC, and when he prayed about it, Mike and I came to his mind, thus the phone call. He asked Mike to think\pray\talk to me about it, and get back with him. Now, this is all a little strange, but we just really feel like the Lord's hand was in it. Mike has felt for maybe the last year, that the Lord has been calling him to more of a "lead pastor" position. Now, if you know my husband, you have to smile at this thought. He's not exactly an "up front" kind of guy, but he's felt really strongly about this lately, but we haven't really shared that with many people, just something we've been praying about. (Again, the Lord saying to us, I'm here, I'm listening, follow me)
Mike called to tell me, and I was obviously a little shocked. We had not been seeking an opportunity or looking for anything. In what we can only describe as the Lord's hand leading the way, in about 2 days, everything fell into place for us to visit the church July 5. It was a whirlwind, but through it all, we really felt peaceful about it. We knew that it was of the Lord, and we really just felt like we were along for the ride, to see what HE had for us.
We were scheduled to go to Mike's parents for the holiday weekend. We went, and then Mon afternoon, we gave Levi a kiss (he was going to stay with grandparentals), and we took off for Paul's home. We spent the evening with he and his wife, and some of their family, celebrating the 4th. The next morning, bright and early, we headed to Alpena. It was a 4 hour drive. We arrived around noon, met with several people in the church for a kind of informal "Get to know you" kind of meeting, see if maybe we were a fit for this ministry. We were shown around Alpena (which we LOVED), and later that afternoon we drove home. We arrived around 8, drove back to Mike's parents, arriving around 11. We crashed into bed. We woke up at 5, and left at 6:30, all to be back in Jackson by 9 to find out that we were having a little girl! :) It was a little intense.
All this has been leading up to this past weekend where Mike, myself, and Levi were heading up for a more formal "interview"? (what do you call these things, I don't really know) We were scheduled to stay with a family, going up on Saturday, Mike would speak on Sunday, and we'd head home that afternoon. Needless to say, with the plague that entered our house, we disappointingly had to cancel our plans. We however, had scheduled two weekends to go. This coming, being one of them. So, Saturday morning, Lord willing, we are heading to Alpena again to see if this is something the Lord would have for our family.
Would you pray with us? We are excited about the opportunity, as we really do feel that this is entirely the Lord's leading. It's of course daunting to go stay with people who you don't know, make small talk, and try your best to be engaging, but we are trusting that the Lord is going before us, and will be alongside of us during the trip.
Please pray for..
---> safety on the road (it's 5 hours one way, without stops)
---> that Levi would travel well (that's a looooonnggg ride for a 2 1\2 yr old)
---> that we (as well as the church) would sense the Lord's leading and direction, whatever that may be.
see?
That's what I picked this morning at the garden, and there's another round right behind it. That basket is mostly tomatoes, with a few peppers at the bottom, one eggplant waiting to be devoured and a head of cabbage waiting to be some tasty coleslaw. :) I'm up to my eyeballs in tomatoes and canning, but I love it. I'm so thankful that the Lord provides for our needs in this way every summer, and I'm falling more and more in love with canning and preserving food for our family.
We're over our plague. oy. We were all quite sick, though I definitely had it the worst. I saw my OB on Monday, and everything looked good, just continue to rest and get better. I listened for about a halfday, and then overdid it and laid on the couch and let Levi watch cartoons the rest of the day. ;) Truly though, I'm feeling great now, eating normal food again, and thankful that we survived that nasty bug. I'd rather not visit labor and delivery again before miss thing makes her arrival.
We're going away this weekend. Mike has a "part 2" to a job interview. Back in early July, we got a phone call from a man that we could only call an aquaintance. He was a pastor at a church that we interviewed for a position at, shortly aftr Levi was born. He called and left a message on Mike's voicemail one afternoon, just asking how he was, and what he was doing, and to give him a call back. We thought it a bit odd. We had only met him and his wife, for a short time 2 years ago. We felt like we really connected with them, but it just wasn't the time or place for us. The next day, he called back again, before Mike had a chance to call him back.
He explained that he had been voted in as the new Superintendant of the East Michigan Conference in the Free Methodist Church. That's a lot of lingo if you don't understand FM world, but basically that means that he was now "in charge", or overseeing about 60 churches in Eastern Michigan. There was a need for a pastor at the Alpena FMC, and when he prayed about it, Mike and I came to his mind, thus the phone call. He asked Mike to think\pray\talk to me about it, and get back with him. Now, this is all a little strange, but we just really feel like the Lord's hand was in it. Mike has felt for maybe the last year, that the Lord has been calling him to more of a "lead pastor" position. Now, if you know my husband, you have to smile at this thought. He's not exactly an "up front" kind of guy, but he's felt really strongly about this lately, but we haven't really shared that with many people, just something we've been praying about. (Again, the Lord saying to us, I'm here, I'm listening, follow me)
Mike called to tell me, and I was obviously a little shocked. We had not been seeking an opportunity or looking for anything. In what we can only describe as the Lord's hand leading the way, in about 2 days, everything fell into place for us to visit the church July 5. It was a whirlwind, but through it all, we really felt peaceful about it. We knew that it was of the Lord, and we really just felt like we were along for the ride, to see what HE had for us.
We were scheduled to go to Mike's parents for the holiday weekend. We went, and then Mon afternoon, we gave Levi a kiss (he was going to stay with grandparentals), and we took off for Paul's home. We spent the evening with he and his wife, and some of their family, celebrating the 4th. The next morning, bright and early, we headed to Alpena. It was a 4 hour drive. We arrived around noon, met with several people in the church for a kind of informal "Get to know you" kind of meeting, see if maybe we were a fit for this ministry. We were shown around Alpena (which we LOVED), and later that afternoon we drove home. We arrived around 8, drove back to Mike's parents, arriving around 11. We crashed into bed. We woke up at 5, and left at 6:30, all to be back in Jackson by 9 to find out that we were having a little girl! :) It was a little intense.
All this has been leading up to this past weekend where Mike, myself, and Levi were heading up for a more formal "interview"? (what do you call these things, I don't really know) We were scheduled to stay with a family, going up on Saturday, Mike would speak on Sunday, and we'd head home that afternoon. Needless to say, with the plague that entered our house, we disappointingly had to cancel our plans. We however, had scheduled two weekends to go. This coming, being one of them. So, Saturday morning, Lord willing, we are heading to Alpena again to see if this is something the Lord would have for our family.
Would you pray with us? We are excited about the opportunity, as we really do feel that this is entirely the Lord's leading. It's of course daunting to go stay with people who you don't know, make small talk, and try your best to be engaging, but we are trusting that the Lord is going before us, and will be alongside of us during the trip.
Please pray for..
---> safety on the road (it's 5 hours one way, without stops)
---> that Levi would travel well (that's a looooonnggg ride for a 2 1\2 yr old)
---> that we (as well as the church) would sense the Lord's leading and direction, whatever that may be.
13 August, 2011
A trip to the ER for Mama
Well it's been a trip these last 48 hours to say the least.
Thursday, Levi had kind of a random fever in the afternoon, but it came and was gone that quick, and he seemed fine. Thursday night we went to bed, and I threw up before bed, but whatever, I chalked it up to pregnancy, and thought nothing of it. Around midnight, Levi's fever came raging back, and we were up with him giving him tylenol\ibruprofen. Around 2, I was up, and NOT feeling well. I made several trips to the bathroom, and knew I had something. At 4 Levi woke up again, and had massive diarhea, and I knew right then and there we were in trouble. We got him cleaned up, and he was shaking he was so cold, except that he was burning up. We put him in bed in between us to get him warm, and about 10 minutes later we woke up to Levi vomiting in our bed. We were basically up for the day at that point.
By morning we all had it. We think that Mike may have actually gotten it first, but for whatever reason it just didn't hit him as hard as it hit Levi and I. He had the diarhea, but nothing else. Levi and I had both ends of it. I was miserable Friday , nothing would stay in me, it came right back up, or went out the other way. Any drink or small thing I tried to eat just didn't sit. I called my OB and they said try to stay hydrated, if you feel like you're dehydrated head to the ER.
By 5, I was m.i.s.e.r.a.b.l.e. We had been throwing around the ER for a while, but had made no plans. I asked Mike what he thought, and he said.. well, no one really wants to go to the ER, and I looked at him and said, I think I do. He told me later that was when he realized how sick I was. We made some calls, my parents met us at the hospital to take Levi, and we headed in.
I was sent straight to labor and delivery as soon as I told them I was pregnant. We headed up there, via wheelchair and I was so sick, I didn't even care. They got me a bed, and started an IV with fluid pretty quickly. I was still vomiting and having diarhea the whole time we were there. They ended up giving me a total of 3L of fluid, and I peed one time while we were there, though I continued to have the other two symptoms, so it's hard to say I suppose.
Around 11:30, the nurse asked if I would like to stay the night, and quite honestly, I did. I still felt miserable, and had basically kept nothing in me the entire time I was there. In the end, the dr. wouldn't allow me to stay because all my bloodwork came back fine in terms of a bacterial infection, so there was really nothing they could do, except to continue pumping fluid into me.
We were eventually discharged with a prescription, with orders to rest, and drink as much as I could keep down. We went to Meijer around midnight and picked up some gatorade and tylenol PM, and headed home. We crashed into bed around 1, and I slept fitfully through most of the night, and was up several times using the bathroom.
Still feeling icky this morning, and hoping this passes soon. Levi is at my parents, and seems to be doing just fine, so I'm hoping he's over it, and it's passed without incident for him. Mike was feeling much better last night, so all that's left is for pregnant mama to feel better.
If you think of it, please pray that I would be able to keep things down, and that my body would begin to heal. We desperately need liquids to stay down, and I should probably try to eat something. I haven't eaten in well over 24 hours at this point and I don't doubt my body needs nourishment.
Thursday, Levi had kind of a random fever in the afternoon, but it came and was gone that quick, and he seemed fine. Thursday night we went to bed, and I threw up before bed, but whatever, I chalked it up to pregnancy, and thought nothing of it. Around midnight, Levi's fever came raging back, and we were up with him giving him tylenol\ibruprofen. Around 2, I was up, and NOT feeling well. I made several trips to the bathroom, and knew I had something. At 4 Levi woke up again, and had massive diarhea, and I knew right then and there we were in trouble. We got him cleaned up, and he was shaking he was so cold, except that he was burning up. We put him in bed in between us to get him warm, and about 10 minutes later we woke up to Levi vomiting in our bed. We were basically up for the day at that point.
By morning we all had it. We think that Mike may have actually gotten it first, but for whatever reason it just didn't hit him as hard as it hit Levi and I. He had the diarhea, but nothing else. Levi and I had both ends of it. I was miserable Friday , nothing would stay in me, it came right back up, or went out the other way. Any drink or small thing I tried to eat just didn't sit. I called my OB and they said try to stay hydrated, if you feel like you're dehydrated head to the ER.
By 5, I was m.i.s.e.r.a.b.l.e. We had been throwing around the ER for a while, but had made no plans. I asked Mike what he thought, and he said.. well, no one really wants to go to the ER, and I looked at him and said, I think I do. He told me later that was when he realized how sick I was. We made some calls, my parents met us at the hospital to take Levi, and we headed in.
I was sent straight to labor and delivery as soon as I told them I was pregnant. We headed up there, via wheelchair and I was so sick, I didn't even care. They got me a bed, and started an IV with fluid pretty quickly. I was still vomiting and having diarhea the whole time we were there. They ended up giving me a total of 3L of fluid, and I peed one time while we were there, though I continued to have the other two symptoms, so it's hard to say I suppose.
Around 11:30, the nurse asked if I would like to stay the night, and quite honestly, I did. I still felt miserable, and had basically kept nothing in me the entire time I was there. In the end, the dr. wouldn't allow me to stay because all my bloodwork came back fine in terms of a bacterial infection, so there was really nothing they could do, except to continue pumping fluid into me.
We were eventually discharged with a prescription, with orders to rest, and drink as much as I could keep down. We went to Meijer around midnight and picked up some gatorade and tylenol PM, and headed home. We crashed into bed around 1, and I slept fitfully through most of the night, and was up several times using the bathroom.
Still feeling icky this morning, and hoping this passes soon. Levi is at my parents, and seems to be doing just fine, so I'm hoping he's over it, and it's passed without incident for him. Mike was feeling much better last night, so all that's left is for pregnant mama to feel better.
If you think of it, please pray that I would be able to keep things down, and that my body would begin to heal. We desperately need liquids to stay down, and I should probably try to eat something. I haven't eaten in well over 24 hours at this point and I don't doubt my body needs nourishment.
10 August, 2011
My God Sighting
We've been incredibly busy the last couple of weeks, prepping for Vacation Bible School. We spent most nights last week at the chuch decorating, and starting Sunday, Mike began his "playing in the band" part of VBS. He's been gone every night since Sunday helping with the worship for the kiddos. Our VBS is in the evening at 6:30, and quite honestly starts to encroach a bit on our bedtime routine, but we've made it out 2 different nights now to see the opening.
To be honest, I've been cranky about this whole VBS thing. I'm tired, we've been so busy with everything, and I just am waiting for it to be over with. Being 6 months pregnant is not helping my attitude. I'm just beat. I miss my husband, Levi misses his Papa, and we're just ready to be back to normalcy around here.
Always the set up for God to whisper to your heart, right?
So, last night, after Mike left and Levi literally melted down over him leaving, I decided we'd go ahead and go see Papa play his guitar. I listened to the opening as the leader reviewed each God Point the kids have learned this week. As each God Point is declared, and the kids respond (or rather scream) in response with motion.. "Thank You, God"
These are the points for each night
God made You.
God listens to You.
God watches over You.
God loves You, no matter what.
God gives us good gifts.
As I watched and listened, my heart swelled at the thought of these kids learning deep biblical truths at a young age. That God made us, listens to us, watches us, LOVES us, and provides for us. What a blessing. A blessing we ALL needed to be reminded of. It's so easy to get caught up in the more "grown-up side" of biblical theology, but we all need to be reminded of the simple but profound truth that God made us... He made the 24 week old baby girl that is growing inside of me. He made HER... for HIS glory!!
What blessed my heart even more?
As the kids shouted for the unnteenth time "Thank You God" I realized that our precious 2 1\2 yr old son was now in on the action and motions, stating that very thing..
Thank you God
And all my heart could do is respond in the same way..
Thank You God.
To be honest, I've been cranky about this whole VBS thing. I'm tired, we've been so busy with everything, and I just am waiting for it to be over with. Being 6 months pregnant is not helping my attitude. I'm just beat. I miss my husband, Levi misses his Papa, and we're just ready to be back to normalcy around here.
Always the set up for God to whisper to your heart, right?
So, last night, after Mike left and Levi literally melted down over him leaving, I decided we'd go ahead and go see Papa play his guitar. I listened to the opening as the leader reviewed each God Point the kids have learned this week. As each God Point is declared, and the kids respond (or rather scream) in response with motion.. "Thank You, God"
These are the points for each night
God made You.
God listens to You.
God watches over You.
God loves You, no matter what.
God gives us good gifts.
As I watched and listened, my heart swelled at the thought of these kids learning deep biblical truths at a young age. That God made us, listens to us, watches us, LOVES us, and provides for us. What a blessing. A blessing we ALL needed to be reminded of. It's so easy to get caught up in the more "grown-up side" of biblical theology, but we all need to be reminded of the simple but profound truth that God made us... He made the 24 week old baby girl that is growing inside of me. He made HER... for HIS glory!!
What blessed my heart even more?
As the kids shouted for the unnteenth time "Thank You God" I realized that our precious 2 1\2 yr old son was now in on the action and motions, stating that very thing..
Thank you God
And all my heart could do is respond in the same way..
Thank You God.
06 August, 2011
sweet moments
i heard mike and levi playing in levi's room this morning.
i walked around the corner to find this.
it's too precious for words.
i walked around the corner to find this.
it's too precious for words.
03 August, 2011
chicken curry
Tonight for dinner, I braved a new recipe and made
Chicken Curry
It's my friend, Liz' recipe. Liz and I went to college together, and well, I think she's awesome, and you should get to know her. They are currently in language school in Costa Rica. They are preparing to move to Honduras to work at a Christian camp being the hands and feet of Jesus in a very tangible way.
It was delightfully yummy and we'll definitely be doing it again.
Thanks friend!
Chicken Curry
It's my friend, Liz' recipe. Liz and I went to college together, and well, I think she's awesome, and you should get to know her. They are currently in language school in Costa Rica. They are preparing to move to Honduras to work at a Christian camp being the hands and feet of Jesus in a very tangible way.
It was delightfully yummy and we'll definitely be doing it again.
Thanks friend!
29 July, 2011
I've never felt overwhelmed by water. I've never worried about it, nor have I ever even considered how it must feel to be those who live along the mississippi river as the snow begins to melt or anything like that.
Today that changed.
This morning we woke up and we saw this...
These were taken from our house, the water has actually receded quite a bit since when we first saw it. It was maybe up another 10 ft. towards the house around 7 this morning.
Mike went out to investigate, to find that in the northeast corner of the property the water was a full 18 inches, and ranged down to around 12. After looking around for a while, I said, you know we should check the crawl space and we found 6-8 inches of water underneath the house. Now that is disconcerting.
I've been in touch with our landlord and they are going to send someone over to pump out the water, but they have a whole slew of properties that need to be pumped out, so I imagine it'll be a while before they show up here. I don't even want to think about the mold\mildew that could show up from this.
It's been a rough morning.
Today that changed.
This morning we woke up and we saw this...
These were taken from our house, the water has actually receded quite a bit since when we first saw it. It was maybe up another 10 ft. towards the house around 7 this morning.
Mike went out to investigate, to find that in the northeast corner of the property the water was a full 18 inches, and ranged down to around 12. After looking around for a while, I said, you know we should check the crawl space and we found 6-8 inches of water underneath the house. Now that is disconcerting.
I've been in touch with our landlord and they are going to send someone over to pump out the water, but they have a whole slew of properties that need to be pumped out, so I imagine it'll be a while before they show up here. I don't even want to think about the mold\mildew that could show up from this.
It's been a rough morning.
25 July, 2011
seriously?
This morning I threw up so hard, I managed to make my nose bleed.
Seriously... Is that really necessary?
still puking at 22 weeks isn't bad enough? really?
Somedays, I just want to be a normal pregnant person.
Seriously... Is that really necessary?
still puking at 22 weeks isn't bad enough? really?
Somedays, I just want to be a normal pregnant person.
20 July, 2011
oppressive
that's what's on the horizon, and it's been like that for the past couple of days. the heat is oppressive. the air feels heavy to breathe. there are cooling centers now open in our town for those who need a reprieve, as the heat index has been above 100 the last couple of days, and is supposed to climb well above 100 the next two days as well. heat warnings are in effect and they encouraging people to stay in their homes. it's so dry out, everything is turning brown, our garden desperately needs rain, and this stifling heat isn't helping.
we are thankful for our AC. while they are running constantly to keep the house cool, i'm so incredibly thankful for a place to cool off.
10 July, 2011
first fruits
we picked our first yield.
3 yummy cucumbers. we've downed 2 of them since yesterday.
SO SO good!
3 yummy cucumbers. we've downed 2 of them since yesterday.
SO SO good!
08 July, 2011
30 June, 2011
a good morning at the zoo
I've been itching to take Levi back to the Zoo. We had such a great time the last time we went. Looking at our calendar for July has me rather depressed. Every weekend but 1 is booked, not with bad things, just stuff going on. After asking around for a couple of days to find someone to go with us (because it's just more fun with a grown up to talk with) I couldn't find anyone, so I decided to brave it alone today.
Levi and I trucked out of the house around 8:45 this morning, and arrived blissfully early at the zoo. It was us and the zoo trainers. (note to self: always go this early) We had a great time wandering around looking at everything, we looked mostly at the monkeys which Levi really loved. Around 10:30, the zoo really picked up in busyness. Levi was starting to get tired, and I wanted to make it home before nap time, so we left to head home around 11.
It was a *perfect* morning. Levi was great, he listened well, and we just had a good time together. The zoo was not busy, and today I was SO thankful for the family pass we received as a Christmas gift. When he got tired, we headed home. Even though we'd only been there for maybe an hour and a half, and hadn't even seen the "africa" part of the zoo yet, I knew there would be another day for that. So, we left... we said, bye, bye, zoo... and headed out. No tantrums, no screaming, just see ya later zoo, because I knew we would definitely be coming back again.
So thankful for these special moments that I can spend with Levi this summer, as next summer will have an entirely different feel with a family of 4.
Levi and I trucked out of the house around 8:45 this morning, and arrived blissfully early at the zoo. It was us and the zoo trainers. (note to self: always go this early) We had a great time wandering around looking at everything, we looked mostly at the monkeys which Levi really loved. Around 10:30, the zoo really picked up in busyness. Levi was starting to get tired, and I wanted to make it home before nap time, so we left to head home around 11.
It was a *perfect* morning. Levi was great, he listened well, and we just had a good time together. The zoo was not busy, and today I was SO thankful for the family pass we received as a Christmas gift. When he got tired, we headed home. Even though we'd only been there for maybe an hour and a half, and hadn't even seen the "africa" part of the zoo yet, I knew there would be another day for that. So, we left... we said, bye, bye, zoo... and headed out. No tantrums, no screaming, just see ya later zoo, because I knew we would definitely be coming back again.
So thankful for these special moments that I can spend with Levi this summer, as next summer will have an entirely different feel with a family of 4.
28 June, 2011
summer camping
We survived our first summer camping adventure, minus the rain.
We went out Thursday afternoon, literally got our tent set up everything inside, and it downpoured for probably 45 minutes. We sat in our tent waiting....It semi cleared up later that night, but was still drizzly and Friday morning we woke up to the same event. rain. Around 10:30 that morning as it was still raining and it was impossible to do anything because everything was soaked, we bailed and went to a local kids indoor playplace.By friday evening it had started to clear up a little bit and Saturday looked promising. Saturday was a great day, filled with the lake, sand, sun and fun, good naps, complete with a trip for ice cream. We packed up sunday and came home. I took no pictures, half the time it was raining, the other half we were just trying to enjoy the nice weather we did have :)
This was our annual camping trip with friends. We had a great time, though I think we all agreed that maybe we should schedule a kid free camping adventure. Camping with kids is really really fun, but we all talked of the days of camping, sitting around reading for hours, going for lazy walks, taking a random nap... ahhhh... good times. :) Maybe later this year, or maybe we'll hit up Barakel's couples' retreat in the fall.. half camping, half barakel :)
Probably the most unsure part of the trip was Levi. (as is any 2 yr old) This is the first summer he has not slept in his Pack N Play and we weren't sure how he'd do. The first night he ended up in between us, but after that, he was a champ. He had tons of fun, and just loved being outside playing in the dirt and grime ;) you know boy like activities. :)
Sadly our tent did not make the trip home. The zipper decided to completely brake while we were there, as well as a tent pole. (boo) We had it for 6 years, and we knew we'd be getting one for next summer, just to have some more space with baby #2... ah well... guess it'll be earlier...
Speaking of Baby #2... I've been feeling the baby move here and there which is so fun. Our ultrasound is next week! It's kind of exciting this time around. Last time we didn't find out, so it was kind of "meh" but this time we are planning to find out what we're having, so providing little bean cooperates, we'll know next wednesday!
We went out Thursday afternoon, literally got our tent set up everything inside, and it downpoured for probably 45 minutes. We sat in our tent waiting....It semi cleared up later that night, but was still drizzly and Friday morning we woke up to the same event. rain. Around 10:30 that morning as it was still raining and it was impossible to do anything because everything was soaked, we bailed and went to a local kids indoor playplace.By friday evening it had started to clear up a little bit and Saturday looked promising. Saturday was a great day, filled with the lake, sand, sun and fun, good naps, complete with a trip for ice cream. We packed up sunday and came home. I took no pictures, half the time it was raining, the other half we were just trying to enjoy the nice weather we did have :)
This was our annual camping trip with friends. We had a great time, though I think we all agreed that maybe we should schedule a kid free camping adventure. Camping with kids is really really fun, but we all talked of the days of camping, sitting around reading for hours, going for lazy walks, taking a random nap... ahhhh... good times. :) Maybe later this year, or maybe we'll hit up Barakel's couples' retreat in the fall.. half camping, half barakel :)
Probably the most unsure part of the trip was Levi. (as is any 2 yr old) This is the first summer he has not slept in his Pack N Play and we weren't sure how he'd do. The first night he ended up in between us, but after that, he was a champ. He had tons of fun, and just loved being outside playing in the dirt and grime ;) you know boy like activities. :)
Sadly our tent did not make the trip home. The zipper decided to completely brake while we were there, as well as a tent pole. (boo) We had it for 6 years, and we knew we'd be getting one for next summer, just to have some more space with baby #2... ah well... guess it'll be earlier...
Speaking of Baby #2... I've been feeling the baby move here and there which is so fun. Our ultrasound is next week! It's kind of exciting this time around. Last time we didn't find out, so it was kind of "meh" but this time we are planning to find out what we're having, so providing little bean cooperates, we'll know next wednesday!
21 June, 2011
more baby info
well now that the cat is out of the bag, i can go into everything a bit more...
due date
(according to my OB) is Nov. 29. I however believe it be more like Dec 5, however my dr. said they always go by the first day of your last period, regardless, even though i can tell him for certain there is no way that it's nov. 29. i'll be interesting to see what the ultrasound says in a couple of weeks! :) all i know is that christmas shopping needs to be done early this year :)
ultrasound
we will be having an ultrasound july 6, and yes, we will find out this time. even though last time we waited (and then accidentally found out) we both really enjoyed knowing once we did know, and plus, this way i'll know if i need a new wardrobe or can reuse what we have which will line up really well!
sickness
yes, i've been sick, throwing up, the whole nine yards. somedays i feel like its worse than last time, somedays i think it's better. i've come to the conclusion that the bad days are just really bad. in the begining there were days where i would throw up 4,5,6 times a day. (i never had it to that extreme last time) throwing up and having a two yr old running around is much less fun than throwing up, then curling up in a ball and crawling back into bed.
time o sickness
with levi it was almost always in the morning, like clockwork. this time, it seems varied and different, sometimes mornings, for a while it was always afternoons which made teaching lessons really difficult. (a few students found out that i was pregnant, due to my having to excuse myself to use the bathroom)
levi
we talk with him about the baby, and he asks to pray for the baby a lot, but beyond that i don't know that he really understands exactly whats happening. also, he's basically daytime potty trained for which we are very thankful. he wears a diaper at nap and bed and that's it! so thankful to be out of that, especially with feeling nauseous all the time.
due date
(according to my OB) is Nov. 29. I however believe it be more like Dec 5, however my dr. said they always go by the first day of your last period, regardless, even though i can tell him for certain there is no way that it's nov. 29. i'll be interesting to see what the ultrasound says in a couple of weeks! :) all i know is that christmas shopping needs to be done early this year :)
ultrasound
we will be having an ultrasound july 6, and yes, we will find out this time. even though last time we waited (and then accidentally found out) we both really enjoyed knowing once we did know, and plus, this way i'll know if i need a new wardrobe or can reuse what we have which will line up really well!
sickness
yes, i've been sick, throwing up, the whole nine yards. somedays i feel like its worse than last time, somedays i think it's better. i've come to the conclusion that the bad days are just really bad. in the begining there were days where i would throw up 4,5,6 times a day. (i never had it to that extreme last time) throwing up and having a two yr old running around is much less fun than throwing up, then curling up in a ball and crawling back into bed.
time o sickness
with levi it was almost always in the morning, like clockwork. this time, it seems varied and different, sometimes mornings, for a while it was always afternoons which made teaching lessons really difficult. (a few students found out that i was pregnant, due to my having to excuse myself to use the bathroom)
levi
we talk with him about the baby, and he asks to pray for the baby a lot, but beyond that i don't know that he really understands exactly whats happening. also, he's basically daytime potty trained for which we are very thankful. he wears a diaper at nap and bed and that's it! so thankful to be out of that, especially with feeling nauseous all the time.
16 June, 2011
24
16 down
24 to go
If you're a mathematician, you know that makes 40.
40 long weeks.......
.......................to the best thing in the world.
We're expecting to add to the Youngman clan here in a few short months. Baby #2 is expected to arrive somewhere around the end of Nov\beginning of Dec.
If you were around for my pregnancy with Levi you know I was quite sick, so to answer your question.....
Yes I've been sick. really. really. sick. and yes I'm tired of it.
No, I don't think it's going away any time soon, that's just my pregnancy lot in life.
This time, however, I know with absolute certainty that holding that precious baby is worth every moment I spend sick.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
24 to go
If you're a mathematician, you know that makes 40.
40 long weeks.......
.......................to the best thing in the world.
We're expecting to add to the Youngman clan here in a few short months. Baby #2 is expected to arrive somewhere around the end of Nov\beginning of Dec.
If you were around for my pregnancy with Levi you know I was quite sick, so to answer your question.....
Yes I've been sick. really. really. sick. and yes I'm tired of it.
No, I don't think it's going away any time soon, that's just my pregnancy lot in life.
This time, however, I know with absolute certainty that holding that precious baby is worth every moment I spend sick.
Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
15 June, 2011
berry sweet success!
This morning I opened my last jar of freezer jam...
that would be sad except that....
Saturday I'm going Strawberry picking!
I call that a success! :)
(For future notes, I put up about 24 pints of jelly.)
that would be sad except that....
Saturday I'm going Strawberry picking!
I call that a success! :)
(For future notes, I put up about 24 pints of jelly.)
07 June, 2011
Puddingstone Farm
Who isn't looking for free summer fun? right?
We were at BBQ on Memorial Day and a friend told us about a place called Puddingstone Farm here in our little town, a mere 10 minute drive away. She told us of the greenhouses and all the animals, which was basically a giant petting zoo. It sounded really neat, then I asked the impending question... how much does it cost?
The resounding and delightful answer was FREE!
We visited last week, and it was worth the trip! We've already been back one more time, the second, to buy some herbs for our garden.
We were at BBQ on Memorial Day and a friend told us about a place called Puddingstone Farm here in our little town, a mere 10 minute drive away. She told us of the greenhouses and all the animals, which was basically a giant petting zoo. It sounded really neat, then I asked the impending question... how much does it cost?
The resounding and delightful answer was FREE!
We visited last week, and it was worth the trip! We've already been back one more time, the second, to buy some herbs for our garden.
04 June, 2011
growing....
the garden is finally planted!
we planted somewhere new this year. a piano student of mine owns a dairy farm and obviously quite a bit of land. we are planting with them, and they only live 10 minutes from us, as opposed to the 25 minute drive we've previously had.
24 tomato plants
12 green pepper
4 banana pepper
8 cabbage
4 broccoli
4 eggplant
2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
4 cucumber
4 rows of onions
and a stab at sweet potatoes.
can't wait for harvest season!
we planted somewhere new this year. a piano student of mine owns a dairy farm and obviously quite a bit of land. we are planting with them, and they only live 10 minutes from us, as opposed to the 25 minute drive we've previously had.
24 tomato plants
12 green pepper
4 banana pepper
8 cabbage
4 broccoli
4 eggplant
2 zucchini
2 yellow squash
4 cucumber
4 rows of onions
and a stab at sweet potatoes.
can't wait for harvest season!
31 May, 2011
where everybody knows your name....
or at least recognizes you.
Yesterday we enjoyed our small towns memorial day parade, complete with horses, firetrucks, tractors, antique cars, kids on bicycles, marching bands, homecoming king and queens, and everything in between! afterwards, we enjoyed a BBQ at some friends. It was a glorious and beautiful day!
what a delightful day!
Yesterday we enjoyed our small towns memorial day parade, complete with horses, firetrucks, tractors, antique cars, kids on bicycles, marching bands, homecoming king and queens, and everything in between! afterwards, we enjoyed a BBQ at some friends. It was a glorious and beautiful day!
what a delightful day!
22 May, 2011
binder park
our guide for the day....
his favorite animals were the monkeys...
that and petting goats. :)
we had a great time!!
his favorite animals were the monkeys...
that and petting goats. :)
we had a great time!!
15 May, 2011
E.R.
A week ago we spent our first experience in the ER with Levi.
We had decided to go visit Mike's parents for the weekend. We traveled up Friday night, arriving around 9pm. When we got there, we noticed that Levi was wheezing a little, which seemed very sudden. 2 weeks prior, we had to take him to medplus for the same thing. He had bronchitis, they sent us home with amoxicillin, and he finished those meds on Thursday. The theory now is that the amoxicillin just didn't do what we needed it to.
Friday night was awful. He couldn't sleep, He was gasping after every breath. We made it through the night, and in the morning, after no improvement, we decided we should probably take him in. The only option was the ER in little old Lakeview, so off we trekked.
We were blessed to basically walk in and get help immediately. They almost instantly gave him a breathing treatment, and then the dr. came in. He thought that perhaps he had pneumonia. They did another breathing treatment, and then we waited for a chest x-ray. True to the drs word, he had what they called "blotchy" pneumonia. He had 2 breathing treatments, the xray, 2 liquid antibiotics, and 2 shots, and he was finally breathing easier.
The dr. wanted to admit him, but strangely the tiny little hospital we were at didn't admit children. The hospital it part of spectrum health as an overall system, so the only way he could admit him was to take Levi by ambluance to Devos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids which is a little over an hour away from where we were.
Thankfully, the dr. understood we were from out of town, and I think determined that we were responsible parents, and we weren't going to do anything foolish. He did encourage us to come back to Jackson that evening in case he got worse. We decided to stay in Lakeview, by the time we got home from the hospital it was 5. Mike had to go pick up some prescriptions, and nothing in podunky Lakeview was open. He had to drive a 1\2 hour one way, wait a 1\2 hour, and come back, so he didn't get back to his parents until 6:30. oy. We were so exhausted, we decided to stay put for the night. The ER dr. told us, if we did stay, and he got worse, to come back immediately, and he'd have us in an ambulance faster than we thought possible, so with trust in the system, we stayed. Thankfully, he made drastic improvement and slept most of the night on Saturday.
We saw our pediatrician as a follow up this week, and they are starting to wonder if he has asthma. I'm going to fight them on that as long as I can. They seem to think that because everytime he gets sick, the cold goes straight to his chest, he has asthma, but e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. in my family who gets sick has the same thing happen, none of us have asthma, and I'm not going to label him asthmatic at 2. It just seems crazy to me.
Anyway, that was our crazy experience, and one we'd rather not repeat. We're so thankful he's okay, and glad we were able to get the help we needed while we were gone away. If you think of it, say a prayer for him in regards to this asthma thing, it's not really a road I want to have to travel down, or fight traveling down if we don't have to.
We had decided to go visit Mike's parents for the weekend. We traveled up Friday night, arriving around 9pm. When we got there, we noticed that Levi was wheezing a little, which seemed very sudden. 2 weeks prior, we had to take him to medplus for the same thing. He had bronchitis, they sent us home with amoxicillin, and he finished those meds on Thursday. The theory now is that the amoxicillin just didn't do what we needed it to.
Friday night was awful. He couldn't sleep, He was gasping after every breath. We made it through the night, and in the morning, after no improvement, we decided we should probably take him in. The only option was the ER in little old Lakeview, so off we trekked.
We were blessed to basically walk in and get help immediately. They almost instantly gave him a breathing treatment, and then the dr. came in. He thought that perhaps he had pneumonia. They did another breathing treatment, and then we waited for a chest x-ray. True to the drs word, he had what they called "blotchy" pneumonia. He had 2 breathing treatments, the xray, 2 liquid antibiotics, and 2 shots, and he was finally breathing easier.
The dr. wanted to admit him, but strangely the tiny little hospital we were at didn't admit children. The hospital it part of spectrum health as an overall system, so the only way he could admit him was to take Levi by ambluance to Devos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids which is a little over an hour away from where we were.
Thankfully, the dr. understood we were from out of town, and I think determined that we were responsible parents, and we weren't going to do anything foolish. He did encourage us to come back to Jackson that evening in case he got worse. We decided to stay in Lakeview, by the time we got home from the hospital it was 5. Mike had to go pick up some prescriptions, and nothing in podunky Lakeview was open. He had to drive a 1\2 hour one way, wait a 1\2 hour, and come back, so he didn't get back to his parents until 6:30. oy. We were so exhausted, we decided to stay put for the night. The ER dr. told us, if we did stay, and he got worse, to come back immediately, and he'd have us in an ambulance faster than we thought possible, so with trust in the system, we stayed. Thankfully, he made drastic improvement and slept most of the night on Saturday.
We saw our pediatrician as a follow up this week, and they are starting to wonder if he has asthma. I'm going to fight them on that as long as I can. They seem to think that because everytime he gets sick, the cold goes straight to his chest, he has asthma, but e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e. in my family who gets sick has the same thing happen, none of us have asthma, and I'm not going to label him asthmatic at 2. It just seems crazy to me.
Anyway, that was our crazy experience, and one we'd rather not repeat. We're so thankful he's okay, and glad we were able to get the help we needed while we were gone away. If you think of it, say a prayer for him in regards to this asthma thing, it's not really a road I want to have to travel down, or fight traveling down if we don't have to.
09 May, 2011
remembrance
Because we'll always remember...
Because we loved you before we knew you....
You'll always be a part of our hearts.
Today, May 10th, was our EDD with the first baby we carried, and lost.
Because we loved you before we knew you....
You'll always be a part of our hearts.
Today, May 10th, was our EDD with the first baby we carried, and lost.
27 April, 2011
an interesting morning.
It was 7:45, gloomy, and pouring rain. Up until this point in the morning, it had been fairly typical. Levi and I said goodbye to Papa, and he went out the door for work. A couple minutes passed, and as I glanced out the window, I noticed our van still sitting in the parking lot. I thought it was odd since Mike had left. I opened the window and yelled out, are you ok? I hear in reply.. uh, the van's not working, I'm pushing it back to the garage.
I grabbed a sweatshirt and shoes and ran outside to help Mike, because while it's no fun task, it's really NO fun in the rain. We got it back in the garage, said goodbye, and I headed inside.
I walk in the door, and there is Levi smiling at me, broadly. He says, "yummy chicken, mama"... to which I panic. in the 2 minutes or so before I headed outside, I had grabbed chicken out of the freezer to start thawing\cooking for dinner tonight. I left it on the counter in my haste to go help Mike outside. Levi had helped himself to raw chicken.
yes that's right.
raw chicken.
I of course, remained calm. (HA!) I more or less and panicked and called Mike, whom to his credit, turned around and came home. I was meanwhile frantically brushing Levi's teeth, making him drink water\milk, and washing his hands. We weren't really sure what to do, I mean it's raw chicken, you hear HORRIBLE things about that. We decided to call the pediatrician's office. There was no dr in yet, so they directed us to poison control.
Poison control, said that, he was probably fine. He in fact, as far as we could tell didn't actually bite the chicken, he was just licking it. (cool, right?) He's also on amoxicillin as we were in the medplus station with him friday night. Anyway, they said he might have a tummy ache but that would be about it.
I'm happy to report it's been a good 11 1\2 hours and there seems to be no sign of raw chicken poisoning.
Thank you, Lord, for protecting Levi in small and big ways!
p.s. the van wasn't working because Mike let it run out of gas, which I guess if he's going to run out of gas, better the driveway, then the side of the road.
I grabbed a sweatshirt and shoes and ran outside to help Mike, because while it's no fun task, it's really NO fun in the rain. We got it back in the garage, said goodbye, and I headed inside.
I walk in the door, and there is Levi smiling at me, broadly. He says, "yummy chicken, mama"... to which I panic. in the 2 minutes or so before I headed outside, I had grabbed chicken out of the freezer to start thawing\cooking for dinner tonight. I left it on the counter in my haste to go help Mike outside. Levi had helped himself to raw chicken.
yes that's right.
raw chicken.
I of course, remained calm. (HA!) I more or less and panicked and called Mike, whom to his credit, turned around and came home. I was meanwhile frantically brushing Levi's teeth, making him drink water\milk, and washing his hands. We weren't really sure what to do, I mean it's raw chicken, you hear HORRIBLE things about that. We decided to call the pediatrician's office. There was no dr in yet, so they directed us to poison control.
Poison control, said that, he was probably fine. He in fact, as far as we could tell didn't actually bite the chicken, he was just licking it. (cool, right?) He's also on amoxicillin as we were in the medplus station with him friday night. Anyway, they said he might have a tummy ache but that would be about it.
I'm happy to report it's been a good 11 1\2 hours and there seems to be no sign of raw chicken poisoning.
Thank you, Lord, for protecting Levi in small and big ways!
p.s. the van wasn't working because Mike let it run out of gas, which I guess if he's going to run out of gas, better the driveway, then the side of the road.
24 April, 2011
Matthew 28
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."
Hallelujah, the grave could not hold Him, He is Risen!
Hallelujah, the grave could not hold Him, He is Risen!
04 April, 2011
23 March, 2011
unmotivated
I've been seriously undedicated to our blog lately.
I apologize.
It's been unusually warm, and we've been eating up playing outside, going to the park, digging in dirt and chasing bugs.
My camera needs new batteries, and when I have no pictures to post, it just feels blah.. so I need to get my boo-tay to the camera store and get some batteries. :)
Seriously.
Maybe tomorrow when I have 8,000 other errands to run :)
I apologize.
It's been unusually warm, and we've been eating up playing outside, going to the park, digging in dirt and chasing bugs.
My camera needs new batteries, and when I have no pictures to post, it just feels blah.. so I need to get my boo-tay to the camera store and get some batteries. :)
Seriously.
Maybe tomorrow when I have 8,000 other errands to run :)
17 March, 2011
65 in michigan
today on march 17...
when it's 65 and abnormally warm we....
played at the park for an hour and a half
came home at lunch and took a nap
went back outside and played for another hour and a half...
cleaned out flower beds
rode a tricycle
chased bugs
played in dirt
laughed and giggled the whole time.
it's been a beautifully wonderful day.
when it's 65 and abnormally warm we....
played at the park for an hour and a half
came home at lunch and took a nap
went back outside and played for another hour and a half...
cleaned out flower beds
rode a tricycle
chased bugs
played in dirt
laughed and giggled the whole time.
it's been a beautifully wonderful day.
02 March, 2011
with compliments to jill barclay, who took theses cute photos of our kiddo.
there's still snow, but spring is coming, as evidenced by puddles. :)
there's more on FB if you want to see the rest.
with compliments to jill barclay, who took this cute photo of our kiddo.
there's still snow, but spring is coming! :)
there's still snow, but spring is coming, as evidenced by puddles. :)
there's more on FB if you want to see the rest.
with compliments to jill barclay, who took this cute photo of our kiddo.
there's still snow, but spring is coming! :)
01 March, 2011
March
why, hello blog. it's nice to see you.
I feel so woefully out of sync with keeping you all up to date here. There isn't much to say, really. Life is busy for us right now. It's festival season for me which means I work a lot of extra hours and put hundreds of miles on our car, get home at 9pm, scarf dinner because I'm starving at that point, and go to bed.
I desperately need new batteries for our camera, and i just don't like posting without pictures, it's not nearly as fun.
Levi is crazy and fun all rolled into one. He jumps, climbs, runs, screams, all in the name of letters. Seriously, this kid loves letters. I can't even begin to tell you how much he loves them. It's ridiculous. We spend most of our days doing things with either letters or play-doh. (his other love in life) sometimes we turn play-doh into letters... oh the fun to be had. :)
It's March. This morning I walked outside and heard birds chirping.. this is good news, my friends. The snow is slowly melting away, and soon we will be walking to the park every day, and all will be right with the world. :) and we're starting to think towards summer gardening... the thought makes me giddy. i can't wait to be outside digging, planting, enjoy the harvest. we just recently ran out of our frozen peppers, and we're very close to running out of tomatoes now.. sad. but soon, there will be fresh to be had again. Thank you Lord for providing us with the ability to enjoy a garden!
I feel so woefully out of sync with keeping you all up to date here. There isn't much to say, really. Life is busy for us right now. It's festival season for me which means I work a lot of extra hours and put hundreds of miles on our car, get home at 9pm, scarf dinner because I'm starving at that point, and go to bed.
I desperately need new batteries for our camera, and i just don't like posting without pictures, it's not nearly as fun.
Levi is crazy and fun all rolled into one. He jumps, climbs, runs, screams, all in the name of letters. Seriously, this kid loves letters. I can't even begin to tell you how much he loves them. It's ridiculous. We spend most of our days doing things with either letters or play-doh. (his other love in life) sometimes we turn play-doh into letters... oh the fun to be had. :)
It's March. This morning I walked outside and heard birds chirping.. this is good news, my friends. The snow is slowly melting away, and soon we will be walking to the park every day, and all will be right with the world. :) and we're starting to think towards summer gardening... the thought makes me giddy. i can't wait to be outside digging, planting, enjoy the harvest. we just recently ran out of our frozen peppers, and we're very close to running out of tomatoes now.. sad. but soon, there will be fresh to be had again. Thank you Lord for providing us with the ability to enjoy a garden!
22 February, 2011
The Big 3-0
Mike turned 30 last Friday. It was a low-key affair. He opened his presents from us in the morning. I got him a new bible that has some geek\nerd hebrew and greek translation thing. He was quite excited. Levi and I took him lunch at work on Friday, and then Mike and I went out on a date (gasp) that evening. We went to a newer resturant in town. Hugo's Bar and Grill. If you live in J-town you need to check them out! It was so nice to eat dinner and carry on adult conversation while not worrying about what crazy thing Levi was attempting to pull off.
I have no pics because my batteries are dead. I keep charging them to have them only last a day or so and die. I think I need new ones.
This is a busy week for me. Thursday and Friday I will be in Holt playing for Choir Festival. It's a busy time of year, but it's probably my favorite event that I play for.
Levi's crazy. Our house pretty much looks like a bomb has exploded during the day. if I turn my head for 2 minutes something crazy has happened. yesterday, he climbed onto the counter and was throwing oranges on the floor. Today, he grabbed the peanut butter off the counter and was sticking his fingers into jar and eating it like that. he's crazy, and awesome, and I love him more than words can say.
I have no pics because my batteries are dead. I keep charging them to have them only last a day or so and die. I think I need new ones.
This is a busy week for me. Thursday and Friday I will be in Holt playing for Choir Festival. It's a busy time of year, but it's probably my favorite event that I play for.
Levi's crazy. Our house pretty much looks like a bomb has exploded during the day. if I turn my head for 2 minutes something crazy has happened. yesterday, he climbed onto the counter and was throwing oranges on the floor. Today, he grabbed the peanut butter off the counter and was sticking his fingers into jar and eating it like that. he's crazy, and awesome, and I love him more than words can say.
19 February, 2011
First things
Levi has his first real favorite book.
(photo credit HERE )
Have you read this book? It's has about as little of a plot line as you can muster.
The baby kangaroo aptly named Joey (original, right) begins exploring the world. He jumps around, each time hopping a little further. He also sees new things, a bee, a rabbit, a bird. Joey gets scared after meeting each delightful woodland creature, yells "POUCH!", and goes back to where it's safe with his Mama. Eventually he meets another kangaroo. They scare each other, when both yell "POUCH" and then laugh about it. They become friends. The mama's ask if they want in their pouch, and the Joey's reply "no thank you"
The End.
I don't even know how many times we've read this book the last couple of weeks, but somehow even though it's that annoying, I love that he his first favorite book that he asks for repeatedly by name.
(photo credit HERE )
Have you read this book? It's has about as little of a plot line as you can muster.
The baby kangaroo aptly named Joey (original, right) begins exploring the world. He jumps around, each time hopping a little further. He also sees new things, a bee, a rabbit, a bird. Joey gets scared after meeting each delightful woodland creature, yells "POUCH!", and goes back to where it's safe with his Mama. Eventually he meets another kangaroo. They scare each other, when both yell "POUCH" and then laugh about it. They become friends. The mama's ask if they want in their pouch, and the Joey's reply "no thank you"
The End.
I don't even know how many times we've read this book the last couple of weeks, but somehow even though it's that annoying, I love that he his first favorite book that he asks for repeatedly by name.
15 February, 2011
31
Proverbs 31
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.p
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praises at the city gate.
This passage has been on my heart lately.
I've been reflecting on it, reading it, studying it.
Recently, I was, for lack of a better word, teased, by some friends of mine. Somehow, because we garden, can, make bread, yogurt, among many other things and really just do what we feel is best for our little family, it's worth a little jest here and there. In the course of the joking, one of the girls said, It's like your that proverbs 31 mother.
Everyone laughed and I just kind of sat there awkwardly. It was all in good-hearted fun, and I knew noone meant to make me feel badly, but I walked away feeling less than stellar about the situation. I realize we do things differently, and most days I'm okay with it.. somedays, it hits me hard, and just like the kid at the lunch table by himself, longing for a friend, I long for a friend to say hey... we do that to, I think that's awesome, wanna come sit by me? (or go out for a cup of coffee?)
Mike came home and I told him about it. He looked at me, and said.. Honey, isn't that a good thing? To which I smiled, because I know he knows my heart and knew how I was feeling. He then said to me, when we were dating, I remember going through this chapter, reading it, and seeing each of those qualities in you. I love that man.
Oh Lord, please continue to show me how to be a better mother, according to YOUR Word, not according to those around me.
A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax
and works with eager hands.
She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
She gets up while it is still dark;
she provides food for her family
and portions for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it;
out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.
In her hand she holds the distaff
and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor
and extends her hands to the needy.p
When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them,
and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her the reward she has earned,
and let her works bring her praises at the city gate.
This passage has been on my heart lately.
I've been reflecting on it, reading it, studying it.
Recently, I was, for lack of a better word, teased, by some friends of mine. Somehow, because we garden, can, make bread, yogurt, among many other things and really just do what we feel is best for our little family, it's worth a little jest here and there. In the course of the joking, one of the girls said, It's like your that proverbs 31 mother.
Everyone laughed and I just kind of sat there awkwardly. It was all in good-hearted fun, and I knew noone meant to make me feel badly, but I walked away feeling less than stellar about the situation. I realize we do things differently, and most days I'm okay with it.. somedays, it hits me hard, and just like the kid at the lunch table by himself, longing for a friend, I long for a friend to say hey... we do that to, I think that's awesome, wanna come sit by me? (or go out for a cup of coffee?)
Mike came home and I told him about it. He looked at me, and said.. Honey, isn't that a good thing? To which I smiled, because I know he knows my heart and knew how I was feeling. He then said to me, when we were dating, I remember going through this chapter, reading it, and seeing each of those qualities in you. I love that man.
Oh Lord, please continue to show me how to be a better mother, according to YOUR Word, not according to those around me.
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