A Ridiculous Search

I've mentioned before my tendency to fixate on things.  It is bad, I admit. I get something stuck in my head and I cannot stop until it is completed.  

So, when "baby room" was on the radar, I had a new fixation to attach to.  I will admit to being very scattered in my planning and having no vision whatsoever.  That is a downfall.  But, fixated nonetheless on one thing at a time.  

I sent Chris a lengthy email justifying why we should go ahead and purchase the bedding rather than waiting for a shower or looking anymore.  He laughed and texted me with "ok go for it".  He humors me.

My new fixation are these cute little shelves made from IKEA spice racks.  I am sure you've all seen them, they are all over pinterest.  Our room is tiny and while we do have a shelf around the perimeter, it is up high and getting to books easily would be annoying.  So, I was trying to think of a space saving way to store his "precious books" that could be switched out regularly.  My sister pointed me to the spice racks and I was sold.

Source

My sister fixates on things, too.  Little tidbit on Katie.  However, she is more proactive and problem solver like while I am more, welp screw it and find another idea.  My sister got on IKEA's website and looked to see if any local stores had them in stock or the one close to my friend in Utah.  Apparently some stores will mail the item to you if it isn't an online item.

Nope, nada.  

Next step, California.  Because who wouldn't call Burbank, CA for a $3.99 spice rack?  

Up a creek again though because the Burbank folk don't do mailers.  Seriously Burbank??  Seriously.  

I had all but given up at this point.  Kid's gonna have to live without shelves down low and listen to mom groan when she climbs up the ladder to get a book.  

Until I found this handy dandy tutorial...

I immediately sent the link to Chris with a play by play of how he could totally pull this off and actually make something for Henry's room.  How neat would that be?  His reply, "Yeah, I think I could give that a shot."  See, he humors me. 

So, stay tuned to see how well this turns out.  I'll keep ya posted.  

Friday... Finally

So... my blog has taken on a whole new format as far as when I go to post things.  I can't find my dashboard and I'm not up for change.  I am sure everyone using blogspot is experiencing this, but it kind of is freaking me out.  Therefore, if for some reason this post looks totally off skilter, it ain't my fault.

I am very excited that it is Friday.  This past weekend was a whirlwind and I didn't feel normal until about Wednesday of this week.  Here are five highlights from the week.

• Here is a little sneak peak at Henry's room with terrible lighting.  We also have the dresser done.  I am in need of some more inspiration before I continue with the details of the room.  Right now the colors are a mustard/gold yellow, gray, and white.  I love it so far, ready for little boy to be tucked in his bed though...  in 18 weeks.

• This past weekend, my close gal pals from college were in to celebrate Brittanie's wedding in August.  It was so much fun seeing everyone and getting to hang out with the bridesmaids.  Our time together is always way too short.  I'm excited for when we are able to plan vacations together because we will all be married and what not.  Henry was also able to meet his BFF, Wirth's little bean.  These guys are two days apart and will be Skype buddies before they know it.

Took this pic from Emily on facebook.

• A close friend, Jessica, and her family had their going away party this past Saturday night.  They will be joining another family friend of mine in Amsterdam to be missionaries.  It is bittersweet to say bye to them.  We are not sure when we will see each other again and the reality that Amsterdam will be their home is kind of strange.  Thankful for technology!  Skype dates, facetime, and whats app are all amazing things.

• I learned the valuable lesson to look up directions to a client's house and not depend on your phone this week.  I had two clients out in the country and thought it would be no big thing to just type in the second address in my phone.  Ummm... country means sketchy cell phone signal and dropped calls when attempting to get directions because your GPS won't work.  Needless to say, I drove around the country side for a good 30-40 minutes and missed my session.  Ah well, it was an adventure.

• Last but not least, it's Friday and that's high five enough, right?  Loonnnggg week, so thankful it is the weekend!!!  

Week #22

I keep writing posts and forgetting to publish them...  So perhaps I have a stockpile of enough to last for a while.  Or I will convince myself they aren't very good and they will stay hidden, I could totally see myself doing this.

But, for now, here we are at week 22.  The past four weeks have really flown by.  I feel like we just found out I was the housing agency for a little boy.  Four weeks later, here we are.  Again, apologies for my mirror, on the to do for this weekend.

Henry was able to hang out with Hudson, Holly (Jenny's twins), and Wirth's little bean this past weekend.  I am thrilled to be able to enter into motherhood with some of my dearest friends.  So many of my friends have recently had babes or are due in the next few months... seriously, we could form a classroom of children.  This used to be such an "oh my word everyone is expecting" but now that I am in the middle of it, it is kind of fun.  Play dates a plenty and tons of friends to text when I am having a moment.  Wirth gets the blunt end of most of these texts.

I have become a weird belly rubber.  Not in public, but as I sit and write this I feel like I am Buddha.   I catch myself every once in a while, it really is quite comical.  

Still feeling good.  I was a hot mess on Monday due to being on the go for four days straight, but an early bed time and hitting snooze multiple times can do a world of good.  

Henry is moving a lot, I love it.  I had my morning meeting with the bathroom at 4 this morning and woke Chris up because he was all over the place.  Low and behold, he was able to feel the little guy for the first time.  He reacted with a smile (I think, it was dark), but rolled over and went back to sleep pretty quickly.  Haha, he's talked about it a lot today though, so he is excited.

I've been doing a lot of reading to prepare myself for this new chapter in life.  Here are two books I am finishing up.  

They are very similar, Don't Make Me Count to Three is an easier read, but Shepherding a Child's Heart is wonderful and Chris has enjoyed reading it as well.  It is fun to sit and think about what kind of parents we will be.  There was a passage in my reading today that really sunk in, however.  I pray that our parenting will someday reflect this in little Henry's life:

My son, keep your father's commands

and do not forsake your mother's teaching.

Bind them upon your heart forever;

fasten them around your neck,

When you walk, they will guide you;

when you sleep, they will watch over you;

when you awake, they will speak to you.

For these commands are a lamp, 

this teaching is a light,

and the corrections of discipline are the way to life.

Proverbs 6:20-23

 

My hope is that the discipline and home we provide for our little guy will always be reflective of what He desires.  So excited to meet him, the weeks are ticking away!!!

 

#21 Weeks and a Dirty Mirror

The mirror I take my pictures in drives me nuts.  It is an old mirror and has some spots that I have scrubbed and scrubbed on that will not come out.  I think I need to get some paint thinner or something.  Will work on that this week.

Anywho...

This picture was actually taken today, so 21 weeks one day.  This week is crahazy.  One of my dearest friends is leaving on Monday for Amsterdam. (well technically they leave May 22, but have family in Texas, Ohio, and Florida so they have to make their rounds)  All that to say there is a going away party on Saturday night and sending service Sunday for them.  Also, all my favorite college folk are coming into town in a steady stream to celebrate Brittanie's upcoming nuptials.  Jenny, Amy, Holly, and Hudson will be staying with Chris and me and I cannot wait for them to get here!  Dinner together Friday night, two showers on Saturday, busy, busy.  Another friend is having a baby shower on Sunday I won't be able to attend due to helping host a wedding shower of a sweet girl on Sunday.  She was one of my high school girls while I was a counselor in the class and a close friend of my sister in law.  I guess it is safe to say she is a friend :)  As you can see, BUSY!!!  A good busy, but busy.

So, here is baby bump on the down hill slide of 21 weeks.

I received several comments last week on how low I was carrying.  I don't know if it was the shirt or not, because I don't feel like I am all that low.  Feels like he is right up front.  Maybe I'm crazy.  

This past week we finished painting his dresser and put up curtains.  The little room is at a stand still for now, which is fine by me.  We still need to work on his closet and wall art, but that will come.

He moves with the best of them, probably going to be a dancing fool like his dad, haha.  This week I have mostly noticed his movement at night.  I think most of this is due to being so busy during the day and not slowing down to pay attention.  Chris is still patiently waiting to feel the little guy, hopefully soon.

I learned that Cheese Its are the cause of my heart burn.  This is a sad discovery.  My body has more energy overall, but if I overdue it, I pay.

So excited as the days tick away to meeting our Henry.  Life has been a tad stressful as of late with job decisions (for Chris), house cleaning, and just finding time to slow down, but a growing belly is a constant reminder that good things come and I really don't have control of a thing.  

PS Henry is wayyyy excited to be hanging out with his bff this weekend, Wirth's little bean.  The two are due two days apart and are going to be great fun raising together.

Family Time

This past weekend I jumped in the car with my mom, dad and grandparents to head to Kentucky (yes, an 8 hour car ride with five people, we made it).  My aunt and uncle have lived in Oklahoma my entire life and ventured to Kentucky this past year due to my uncle being called to a new church.  The nice thing about their move is that now they are about 4 hours away from my sister, so she and the kiddos were able to join us.

We played with the kids, did a little shopping, and just enjoyed being together.  This post is a little picture heavy, but these two are easy to take lots of pictures of.  

Kharis was able to do a few fun activities during Ben's nap time.  First up, sugar cookies.  She is a sweet toothed kiddo, loved eating the dough.

Both Ben and Kharis loved being outside.

Another fun activity, Easter eggs!!! 

To top it all off, an Easter egg hung.

Can't wait to see these two again in May!

Week #20, HALF WAY THERE!!!

20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go, 140 days until due date!  I couldn't be more excited (well maybe if we were like at 30 weeks, but that's alright).  This gal's got a defined belly now for sure.  It is still funny to see people kind of take a second look at you with the, "Should I ask if she's pregnant?" glance.  It is even more weird to me that I still get a geez-I'm-so-fat-and-sweat-like-a-pig mentality when they ask rather than basking in the pregnancy bliss (ha).  I am not one of those people who enjoys this process, ask me again in a few weeks.

Here's a glimpse at my outfit for the day.  Choices are slim picking I feel like.  I need to rearrange my closet.  Shuffle the sweaters to the back and my springy like things to the front so I perhaps have more of a variety.  I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I've got a two foot view point of wardrobe in the morning.  Our closets are doors, not sliding, just doors, with about two feet on on either side to try to lean into and decipher what lost treasures perhaps are hidden further in the back.  Fun times.

Besides being overly emotional when trying to purchase clothing for myself, I continue to feel pretty darn good.  Heartburn has crept into my esophagus (really I don't know where it is technically, but I'm going with esophagus cause I sound smart that way) which is no fun. However, cottage cheese and ice cream are known cures which I don't complain about.

We've been BUSY over the past week or so with baby stuff.  Room is painted, crib is up, most of the bedding is in (some is on backorder, crossing fingers and toes that it will come and not be discontinued during the wait), and dresser is being sanded for possible paint this weekend.  I hate having the house in shambles, so trucking along to get things back in place.  Got some special people coming in next weekend and they need to sleep somewhere.  

I will post pictures in a week or two as things progress in the room.  One thing I am learning is how tiny Henry's room is going to be.  Not a bad thing, just going to have to be creative.

Henry moves around a lot and Chris is anxious for the day he can feel the little guy, too.  It is pretty cute to see him go back into his room just to sneak a glance at the crib or tell Henry bye in the morning.  Blesses my heart.  Thankful for a husband who gets me through the "how in the world are we going to do this" moments.

140 days people, 140 days (Lord willing).

On the Menu #2

Week number two of our menu planning will be short and sweet.  I was home Monday-Wednesday then headed out to Kentucky to see family.  Therefore, we only planned two meals because we figured one night would be leftovers.  Our grocery bill was still close to the $70 mark though due to toilet paper, contact solution, razors and coffee.  It is always funny how it evens out though.  The weeks we need these things are typically the weeks we are leaving town or have lots of things planned.  

Monday we took advantage of some things I had to buy last week for the toquitos; corn tortillas, green onions, and cilantro.  I hate having things go to waste, so I googled "What can you make with corn tortillas?" (no joke) and one thing that popped up were Mexican pizzas.  Our parents are very sweet to us and both buy meat yearly (like a fourth of a cow or half a pig) and we get to reap the benefits.  Therefore, hamburger meat abounds in our household.  So, I browned up some meat, added some taco seasoning, fried up some tortillas and we made our own Mexican pizzas.  Easy, delicious, and all I had to do was buy some refried beans (love those puppies).

Not a great pic... but you get the point.

Tuesday was our breakfast night (I promise we don't have a Mexican Monday and Breakfast Tuesday tradition, it just worked out this way).  We opted for biscuits and gravy and eggs.  I didn't get off work until 8:30 so not that best meal to have late at night, but one of my favorites. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE breakfast for dinner?

Wednesday was a free for all because I wasn't home until 8:30 again and we figured there would be some leftovers from our previous two meals.  Plus I had to get packing for Kentucky and wanted to spend a little time with the husband before leaving him for four days.  

Nothing too adventurous this past week...  I've got a couple of fun things planned for next week though.