He's Here!

Mom and Dad meeting E... it was such a blessing that he didn't need to go to the nursery. He was breathing fine!


Brothers meeting for the first time! J looked at him for a little while and then decided to play on the ipad instead :) not bad for 2 years old...


brothers at bedtime...


all my boys on the couch...


sweet guy...


this is becoming part of bedtime routine E lays with J during the story

Handsome guy

Welcome Baby!

we are very thankful for our healthy and happy family!

Baby Update

After a week of random daytime contractions that got closer together before bed, yesterday I went hopefully and willingly to my Dr apt. (though I still secretly hoped for my water to break on the way to avoid the awkward and offensive exam)

1cm... what a crappy number... same as last week. Yes, there were tears of disappointment.

At over 41 weeks, I am encouraged to know that baby is fine and the placenta is still doing it's job. I am thankful that I can carry a child, even if I can't seem to deliver them. And I am thankful that I live in a country and time where this doesn't mean death for our baby and/or me. However there is a strange but real mourning that my logic can't seem to shake.

Thank you God for turning my eyes from this momentary trial, thank you for reminding me that my most important job is forth coming. When our son is 2,7,13,20 it's not going to matter how he got here, it's going to matter if we pointed him toward you.

We have a c-section scheduled now... prayers for a safe and healthy delivery and recovery are very much appreciated. Also for little J, being 2 is tough any how and his whole world is about to change. Unfortunately surgery will complicate things further. (mainly me being on pain medication and unable to lift him while my abdomen heals)

...all to thee my blessed savior, I surrender all..

no news is... good news?

so if anyone is out there wondering about a certain baby who was due 5 days ago...

he's still in there... i'm trying to ignore him.

i mean GET OUT!

J on bacon

we had breakfast for dinner tonight... while cooking i told J that bacon is pigs.

(when i "quizzed" him at dinner)

me: J, what is bacon?
J: bacon is... GOOD!

and there we have it folks!

come out, come out where ever you are...

ok so we are not even to the due date yet... but mentally i'm kinda on a schedule, baby! we've got a one week window till your Papa and Grammie are coming to visit us from Ohio... so come on, get your little newborn butt out here already! (head first... just to clarify)


we're waiting! :) (J's face looks like "wait, what?")


I've even washed and installed your car seat!

Fall fun and festivities

Fun in the leaves


daddy and J


love this picture! too bad it's blurry... J loves chasing the chickens and ducks


riding bikes in the yard


baby


i had a strange desire to put on an early thanksgiving for our family at 38 weeks pregnant... but i did it! :) it was good and yay for leftovers too!

blanket update

i know you are all following this story waiting desperately to know what the outcome is! :) ok maybe not... still i thought it deserved an update.

honestly we were ready to cave and give his blankets back... but i'm glad we didn't! this little guy slept through both nap time yesterday and all last night with out his blankets and with no evidence of anything being sucked on in his bed. yay! it is taking him a little longer to fall asleep but even that is already improving. We're very proud of him!

Hooray for J! stay tuned for other riveting 2 year old triumphs! :)

the blanket obsession

some kids suck their thumbs, some have a pacifier... some shove half a disgusting crocheted blanket in their mouth to fall asleep... not ideal... not that portable... and it stinks to high heaven!

so recent middle of the night wake ups involving a 2 year old requesting a different (not sopping wet) blanket is where we've decided enough is enough. yes we are nervous... it is very close to "go time" with baby #2... so probably not the best time to be taking what helps him fall back asleep away.

Last night we said goodbye to the blankets and daddy took them outside (to be hidden in the garage). J decided that the chickens ate them. At bed time we tucked him in blanket free and gave him a bear instead, there was a melt down about a half hour in, but he did manage to fall asleep on his own after an hour or so.

this morning his little bear was sopping wet. ohh boy... is this a battle worth fighting?

misc happenings

it has been a while but here's an update finally!

my last house project before i went into nesting retirement (at least the power tools edition) our closet is now nicely organized and painted :) and J thinks the bottom shelf is his :)


in order to carry out our plans to get goats this spring, we need to move our garden to the parking strip. in order for that to be feasible we need for there not to be an aphid infested tree 10 feet away from the new garden spot. so... my hard working husband cut it down. (to the dismay of many of our emotionally invested neighbors)


for the time being this is what's left... A + J = "heart"


J riding his dino with his birthday polar bear from uncle joe and aunt ashley :) yes the bear is wearing a red diaper... he's not fully housebroken yet.


i recently completed the freezer stocking phase of nesting... now i'm just trying to be in the "enjoy being J's mom" phase.


J chillin' with his peeps... or trying to... the chickens scatter when he goes in the coop.


ok so i might have played a little prank... i'm at home all day with a 2 year old... i told him this was his baby brother


speaking of at home all day with a 2 year old:
what a helper! he tried to fix his mess...


and i am always finding things in places he has deemed the "perfect spot" for them
crayon


snotty tissue


while i was prepping dinner one night J said, "mama, I find pink" and sure enough he had collected every shade!


proud little guy!


on daddy's tall bike




Jordan made a dutch apple pie! um yum! delicious!


as far as baby news goes... as of yesterday this little guy is officially at term (37 weeks) so yay! whenever you're ready little man. maybe the next time i post the co-star will have arrived.

a brief dialogue

J: daddy home soon?

me: daddy will be home in an hour... that's like 30 "time outs"

J: ohh... poor daddy

most of the people in Bham are pretty bummed about all this "summers over" business. (and i'll admit... it was kind of a bust) however, I just harvested my first 2 pumpkins out of my garden... i also made a plum crisp this past week... and ok i drank a carmel apple cider about a month ago. so i might be ready for fall...

our corn has started to produce! this is the first time in 3 years that we are really getting our own corn! J is a bit impatient... he wants to eat it raw. but he looks pretty cute when he perches on his crab to eat it.




Jordan brought home a bag of cucumbers from work... a lot of cucumbers... and i thought "i know what to do with these" sliced cucmbers+mayo+vinegar+sugar= grammie's summer pickles. (no measurements... just to taste) and you have to do that lip press/smack thing she did when you're tasting... they won't turn out if you don't :)


here's J and daddy watching pink panther together...


a couple friends from church saved this out of their wedding gifts for J... he loved it! Bubble wrap!


does anybody else see some serious JORDAN here?


made this Potato, Leek, Feta tart the other night... i wasn't sure about it when i was making it but it was really good and easy.


left over crust dough+cinnamon sugar = lovely treat that makes you feel like your 5 and mom's baking pie. :)


little tid bits (things a picture can't capture):

from listening to jordan, J has picked up calling me "darlin'", it's pretty cute.

any sigh or groan during the day is met with a "hurta toe?" or just recently "baby kick?"

any time he coughs (or sneezes) he says "wrong pipe"

he likes his bread with "peebutturhiee" (peanut butter and honey)

the other day i was working in the garage at nap time and i hear over the monitor "jeeesus, than you, i yov you, with daddy, joppa, namma, papa, gammi..." he laid in his bed by himself praying to jesus for like an hour... it was simple and repetitive and sometimes just chatter but it was pretty awesome.

J's two!

i think it's safe to say that J had a very good 2nd birthday :)

daddy brought home a pool for him and had it set up when he woke up from his nap.


he got a book in the mail from grammie and papa... i hear him looking at it in his room :)


the next day his tonka truck arrived or "dum fut"(dump truck) as jeriah says


he loves his crab :) imagine how excited he'll be when there's actually sand in there...


wow what a cool cake... unfortunately the combination of being over beaten and over cooked left this little beauty very dry ... J didn't seem to mind :)

we went camping last weekend with our community group and had a great time with our friends... one major hiccup when J fell and hit his head hard enough to end up with back arched, eyes rolled back, and arms shaking. it was truly terrifying and we are so thankful that he has had no other symptoms of brain damage. Thank you God! Our little guy is behaving completely normally, even amazing us with how much he is learning and growing each day.

perhaps we have spoiled him a bit since then... ice cream and a movie with mom and dad :)


jonah (cousin on jordan's side) came to visit us for the week... he was totally laid back about spending his last days of summer with a boring mom and lively toddler...


he and jordan decided it was time for a haircut :)


J frequently removes all the pans from this cupboard... the crawling into it was new though.


what so funny? i said "1...2...3" before the picture... he said "4" and thought it was a very funny joke :)


proud of this yummy rissoto! carrots, two kinds of squash, and peas from our garden chicken stock from our own chicken. ok ok and there's costco bacon and rice...


our little farmer... he has been particularly enjoying chasing the ducks the past few days...