Wow, I definitely need to update this thing, but life has been a whirlwind of busyness and life changes for the last month or so ...
First and foremost - we have a son! Soren James joined us on June 9, a good 11 or so days after his latest estimated due date. It took going to the hospital and having my water broken (even that proved a little tricky due to how he was positioned), but 5 hours later ... we had an 8lb 12oz boy!
Two weeks after his birth, Soren took his first plane ride to Cleveland, Ohio where my dad got married to his fiance, Linda! It was a wonderful and blessed event and a great chance for everyone to meet our little guy. They honeymooned on Mackinac Island and traveled around northern Michigan afterwards. We saw friends and family from all around and Maggie enjoyed lots of pool time with her cousins. Wish we could get back to MI this summer, but it's not looking very likely...
A little over a week later (as we packed frantically), we made the big push and moved to Catonsville, MD! The church sent people to our place in Easton and greeted us with about a million more and they moved us into our beautiful townhouse. Tim hit the ground running at Salem - in fact, this week he is off at confirmation camp - and people have been wonderfully nice, welcoming and supportive. I made several trips back to the eastern shore for moving odds and ends, cleaning, and pediatrician appointments, but now... we're pretty much settled in. Yeah there are a few boxes that still need to be finished, but we're close.
I know, I know ... it's a speedy update for a speedy last month or so. Soren is 7 weeks old today and a totally sweet guy. Going thru a bit of a fussy stage (for him), but I also understand this is a common time for growth spurts. He sleeps well, eats well, is growing like a weed ... we are blessed. I am also registered for fall classes (just 2 this time around ... statistics and career development) and one of my next projects is to find child care for him and Maggie on Wednesdays.
It's a wild wild time... I guess the really big stuff is done, but I'm still hanging on for dear life... :)
Showing posts with label new life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new life. Show all posts
7.28.2011
4.18.2011
humor
So, my 2.5 yo has always had a silly streak, but today we got a taste of what it looks like to have Magdalena Dawn mess with you and joke with you - intentionally. :)
She and I looked at a website with compact car seats a few days ago. Tim & I are just *over* moving the carseat back and forth (and back and forth) between our cars - never you mind having to do that with two (!) in a couple more weeks. So we decided it was worth our sanity to invest in a set for his lil car. I found a brand I liked and asked Maggie which color she liked. She picked out orange to go with baby bro/sis's limey green one I had already picked out. But later today, as she was getting loopier and loopier pre-nap time, she declared (through giggles she could scarcely hold back) that she wanted a stinky carseat.
"What?" I asked her, "A stinky carseat?"
"A STINKY CARSEAT!" she howled, giggling... and within 5 minutes or so, was fast asleep, perhaps dreaming of what a stinky carseat would involve. :)
Tonight during prayers, she listed the "regulars" who she needs to pray for (these are generally her pals from church, and especially her babysitter's kids) and then she threw mommy and daddy and baby brother/baby sister a bone.
So I prayed, "We pray for mommy and baby and daddy..."
And she said, laughing, "He wears a dress!!"
"Daddy?" I asked. "We pray that Daddy wears a dress?"
And, oh how she laughed and said, "YES, to wear a DRESS!"
Oh prayer time, what a riot you can be! God has got to have a sense of humor to listen to the prayers of 2yos! Mind you, I have one darn funny kid, if I do say so myself. Or maybe I just spend all day with a 2yo... and my brain is mush. But it works for me. I have been giggling about her new-found joke cracking all day. :)
PS. And we're super excited that our nieces were born last Wednesday and Thursday!! Amy gave birth to Natalie Lorena Wednesday afternoon and a little over 24 hours later, Megan welcomed Charlotte (Charlie) Louise into the world! So exciting - and it makes our baby's arrival seem all the more imminent! With that in mind, I worked on a pretty simple birth plan tonight. Babe will be here before we know it...
She and I looked at a website with compact car seats a few days ago. Tim & I are just *over* moving the carseat back and forth (and back and forth) between our cars - never you mind having to do that with two (!) in a couple more weeks. So we decided it was worth our sanity to invest in a set for his lil car. I found a brand I liked and asked Maggie which color she liked. She picked out orange to go with baby bro/sis's limey green one I had already picked out. But later today, as she was getting loopier and loopier pre-nap time, she declared (through giggles she could scarcely hold back) that she wanted a stinky carseat.
"What?" I asked her, "A stinky carseat?"
"A STINKY CARSEAT!" she howled, giggling... and within 5 minutes or so, was fast asleep, perhaps dreaming of what a stinky carseat would involve. :)
Tonight during prayers, she listed the "regulars" who she needs to pray for (these are generally her pals from church, and especially her babysitter's kids) and then she threw mommy and daddy and baby brother/baby sister a bone.
So I prayed, "We pray for mommy and baby and daddy..."
And she said, laughing, "He wears a dress!!"
"Daddy?" I asked. "We pray that Daddy wears a dress?"
And, oh how she laughed and said, "YES, to wear a DRESS!"
Oh prayer time, what a riot you can be! God has got to have a sense of humor to listen to the prayers of 2yos! Mind you, I have one darn funny kid, if I do say so myself. Or maybe I just spend all day with a 2yo... and my brain is mush. But it works for me. I have been giggling about her new-found joke cracking all day. :)
PS. And we're super excited that our nieces were born last Wednesday and Thursday!! Amy gave birth to Natalie Lorena Wednesday afternoon and a little over 24 hours later, Megan welcomed Charlotte (Charlie) Louise into the world! So exciting - and it makes our baby's arrival seem all the more imminent! With that in mind, I worked on a pretty simple birth plan tonight. Babe will be here before we know it...
1.13.2011
just like the 2nd kid ...
... to get the shaft, and not get a formal "announcement" in the blogosphere.
Yeah, we're pregnant. As of today, I'm about 21 weeks. :) I suppose that I hinted at it several entries ago, buuuuut ... I also haven't blogged in a good long spell either. Everyone on facebook knows! But yes, my apologies, little one. I too was my mama's second, so I should be more sensitive to the shaft that those born after the first tend to get, but for now, I'll just commiserate with you. I've been there. You're in good company. :)
Baby is due around 5/25 - sometime at the end of May, as the actual date keeps fluctuating a bit depending on the day of ultrasound. And I have had a number of those, due to our complications from last time. Thankfully though, everything looks *quite* normal this time. And today we got our first indication that baby may be a big one. At this point, my midwife said it must have had a little spurt because it was 14 oz. Babycenter.com says that belly fruit is normally 11-12 oz or so at this point. Yowza! Way to grow, baby. And, um, lay off the holiday eats, mama. ;)
To make my neglectfulness up to you, little one, I will now smatter your u/s images all over the internets. You're very welcome.
6 weeks - ain't nothin' but a blip thang, bay-by!
9 weeks - more like a peanut now
11 weeks - a lovely profile
13 weeks ... big stuff!
... And today, 1/13, at 21 weeks and about 14 oz! Bruiser!
We've had our nerves, for sure, but we're very excited. I have been feeling good - tired, but good. I blame the tired on the toddler. :) Blessings abound!
** Oh, and I'm not being an elusive jerk - we didn't find out the gender! We'll find out when babe makes it's debut in 18-19 weeks!
Yeah, we're pregnant. As of today, I'm about 21 weeks. :) I suppose that I hinted at it several entries ago, buuuuut ... I also haven't blogged in a good long spell either. Everyone on facebook knows! But yes, my apologies, little one. I too was my mama's second, so I should be more sensitive to the shaft that those born after the first tend to get, but for now, I'll just commiserate with you. I've been there. You're in good company. :)
Baby is due around 5/25 - sometime at the end of May, as the actual date keeps fluctuating a bit depending on the day of ultrasound. And I have had a number of those, due to our complications from last time. Thankfully though, everything looks *quite* normal this time. And today we got our first indication that baby may be a big one. At this point, my midwife said it must have had a little spurt because it was 14 oz. Babycenter.com says that belly fruit is normally 11-12 oz or so at this point. Yowza! Way to grow, baby. And, um, lay off the holiday eats, mama. ;)
To make my neglectfulness up to you, little one, I will now smatter your u/s images all over the internets. You're very welcome.
6 weeks - ain't nothin' but a blip thang, bay-by!
9 weeks - more like a peanut now
11 weeks - a lovely profile
13 weeks ... big stuff!
... And today, 1/13, at 21 weeks and about 14 oz! Bruiser!
We've had our nerves, for sure, but we're very excited. I have been feeling good - tired, but good. I blame the tired on the toddler. :) Blessings abound!
** Oh, and I'm not being an elusive jerk - we didn't find out the gender! We'll find out when babe makes it's debut in 18-19 weeks!
9.23.2010
hopeful
I am really not sure than anyone reads this blog except for me, but... let's say that I am feeling hopeful. A little overwhelmed, but hopeful. Nothing in life is guaranteed - in fact, maybe that's the only thing we can be sure of - but I am thankful for people, for life, for potential. I try to be a positive person, but I am probably a tad more on the even-keeled and realistic side. I know misfortunes happen, and I know things don't always turn out the way we hope - and sometimes there's no good reason why. But I still see a silver lining ... and am wishing for the best.
Thank you God, for all my blessings. Thank you.
Thank you God, for all my blessings. Thank you.
6.02.2010
wherein i am entitled and bitchy...
I hate to log in to write about feeling sorry for myself, but to some degree, I am today. *sigh* I look at my life and I do see blessings beyond measure ... but lately things just seem so damn difficult to stay on top of.
It's the... money issue. Again. Rearing it's ugly head. It never really goes away. I can ignore it for a spell here and there, but it's always looming. I am always feeling pulled in a million different directions and there are no easy answers. Yes, I am home with my daughter and have been since her birth, which has been such a joy. But it also has been a financial decision. Out here, childcare is SO expensive for one child (let alone two... more about that later *grin*) that nothing I could find for part-time work really could justify paying for childcare. That is, what I would have earned would just about cover the costs of childcare. This would not help us.
So I look at our budget/expenses/what goes out vs. what goes in, and while we can certainly tighten up in some areas, we're certainly not running around living a life of extravagance. We eat out a little too often. We probably don't need netflix. We fill up our cars regularly because we need to drive places. But these are the "big ticket" things we face monthly:
- 2 car payments (3 more months until we're down to 1! whoo!),
- internet/phones (Verizon owns our souls),
- a lump sum of utilities to our landlords (who are probably losing money on us),
- auto insurance,
- two of Tim's undergrad loans,
- and the never-ending effort of paying down our credit cards.
I think that's it - with occasional deductibles for our insurance. We're not even paying rent right now due to our swanky living setup (which will not last forever) ... but what happens when we need to start doing that again? This house is going to sell eventually, and we're going to need to be looking for housing. We rented a 2 bedroom duplex in town before we moved out to the country for about $900/mo. Do-able on 2 full time incomes. On one modest pastor's income? Not so much. (My entry level social services income was modest too, don't get me wrong, but together, it was doable).
I'm not saying I can't make adjustments to what we spend, but some things in our budget are just kind of set. Right now, everything just seems like a big expense. I am in school full time (pretty much straight up on federal loans, buying my books out of pocket) and I am a mom. I really don't see how I can squeeze a job into this as well. Because then childcare has to be factored in (no relatives near enough to drop off Maggs with) and how does school happen? All I qualify for right now are jobs that have very little earning potential. I want to get this degree so I can do what I feel called to do AND actually work in a field where I can earn a little bit more than minimum wage!
This is where I get all bitchy and entitled (you know, like the kind of people who drive me nuts). We live in a wealthy area; one of the wealthiest counties in MD (which, in turn, is one of the wealthier states in the good old US of A). Don't get me wrong - there are poor folks. There is a lot of disparity between the wealthy and the poor in this county. My husband is a pastor of a church where some people have way too much money. My husband works his ass off and is struggling with his health due to how much he invests in our church. He never got into the ministry thinking, "Ahh, here's where I'll make my millions!" (that would be ridiculous), but I just wish that 1) they would pay him with the costs of living in this county in mind, and 2) that he would be paid close to what synod guidelines suggest. They do not. They up it a little a bit annually (which I am thankful for, as many employers have not been able to do this during our country's economic woes), but it is nowhere close to what the synod asks congregations to compensate their pastors. So being bitchy and entitled and all, I just wish they would pay him a little more realistically. It would make a major difference in our lives and allow us to get out from under some of our pile of debt (which never gets much smaller for very long). If he was a single guy (without the family in tow), he would still have a lot of these expenses. Maybe one less car, less gasoline or groceries, but ... c'mon. Throw us a frickin' bone here...
What triggered all this pity and "whaa whaa, I am a victim of circumstance"? Well, there are some modestly big expenses looming that I am trying to be aware of:
- air conditioning in my car (going without does not work for MD summers!)
- visit to MI and back this summer (planning to do this in my currently a/c -less car). We'll be with family most of the time so it won't be extravagantly costly, but things always do come up...
- needing to get our taxes done (prep can be a little costly, but we have to have the help as our taxes are always screwy) sometime this summer/early fall
- a major increase in deductibles due to ... (well, *grin* again, but I'll get to that)...
So yeah. Feeling trapped. Not very empowered at all at the moment.
In hopes of dealing with my stress about all this, 1) I am blogging to get it off my chest, and 2) I think I will make a list of things I am thankful for:
- seeing Tim today, though he was busy. Maggie always benefits from seeing Daddy midday.
- living in a beautiful rent-free apartment. It won't be forever, but I am thankful we have it now.
- being home with my girl,
- being in the right academic program (even though it will take too long and cost way too much money, it totally is the right program),
- not having much morning sickness at all this time around, b/c
- oh yeah! I'm totes preggers. :) :) :)
(I will interrupt my list to let you know I have been to my OB/GYN/MW once so far, and that we think I am about 8 weeks along. Feeling really good for the most part, though I am tired many days. Haven't had a sonogram yet but my EDD - calculated by myself - would put me due somewhere around early-mid January 2011! Sonogram will be in about 3.5 weeks or so. Very excited, though much more aware of the work involved in having kids now, so it's a different kind of emotion! I will likely get thru my fall semester just fine and then take off the Spring '11 term while we adjust to life with 2 critters.)
Also thankful for
- good leads on finding a counselor (an "on-going pre-req" for my program),
- having a summer course under my belt for this term,
- my darling (learning all the time, growing like a weed, goofball of a) daughter,
- that she's napping right now and I can chill, :)
- growing friendships (it has taken a while, but it is happening - what a joy!),
- good health,
- my family,
- feeling good! (Yeah, I already mentioned this, but it would be a million times worse if I was constantly nauseated and had to keep my head in the toilet 24/7!)
You know, making those "thankfulness lists" really does help my perspective. I should try to do it more often!
It's the... money issue. Again. Rearing it's ugly head. It never really goes away. I can ignore it for a spell here and there, but it's always looming. I am always feeling pulled in a million different directions and there are no easy answers. Yes, I am home with my daughter and have been since her birth, which has been such a joy. But it also has been a financial decision. Out here, childcare is SO expensive for one child (let alone two... more about that later *grin*) that nothing I could find for part-time work really could justify paying for childcare. That is, what I would have earned would just about cover the costs of childcare. This would not help us.
So I look at our budget/expenses/what goes out vs. what goes in, and while we can certainly tighten up in some areas, we're certainly not running around living a life of extravagance. We eat out a little too often. We probably don't need netflix. We fill up our cars regularly because we need to drive places. But these are the "big ticket" things we face monthly:
- 2 car payments (3 more months until we're down to 1! whoo!),
- internet/phones (Verizon owns our souls),
- a lump sum of utilities to our landlords (who are probably losing money on us),
- auto insurance,
- two of Tim's undergrad loans,
- and the never-ending effort of paying down our credit cards.
I think that's it - with occasional deductibles for our insurance. We're not even paying rent right now due to our swanky living setup (which will not last forever) ... but what happens when we need to start doing that again? This house is going to sell eventually, and we're going to need to be looking for housing. We rented a 2 bedroom duplex in town before we moved out to the country for about $900/mo. Do-able on 2 full time incomes. On one modest pastor's income? Not so much. (My entry level social services income was modest too, don't get me wrong, but together, it was doable).
I'm not saying I can't make adjustments to what we spend, but some things in our budget are just kind of set. Right now, everything just seems like a big expense. I am in school full time (pretty much straight up on federal loans, buying my books out of pocket) and I am a mom. I really don't see how I can squeeze a job into this as well. Because then childcare has to be factored in (no relatives near enough to drop off Maggs with) and how does school happen? All I qualify for right now are jobs that have very little earning potential. I want to get this degree so I can do what I feel called to do AND actually work in a field where I can earn a little bit more than minimum wage!
This is where I get all bitchy and entitled (you know, like the kind of people who drive me nuts). We live in a wealthy area; one of the wealthiest counties in MD (which, in turn, is one of the wealthier states in the good old US of A). Don't get me wrong - there are poor folks. There is a lot of disparity between the wealthy and the poor in this county. My husband is a pastor of a church where some people have way too much money. My husband works his ass off and is struggling with his health due to how much he invests in our church. He never got into the ministry thinking, "Ahh, here's where I'll make my millions!" (that would be ridiculous), but I just wish that 1) they would pay him with the costs of living in this county in mind, and 2) that he would be paid close to what synod guidelines suggest. They do not. They up it a little a bit annually (which I am thankful for, as many employers have not been able to do this during our country's economic woes), but it is nowhere close to what the synod asks congregations to compensate their pastors. So being bitchy and entitled and all, I just wish they would pay him a little more realistically. It would make a major difference in our lives and allow us to get out from under some of our pile of debt (which never gets much smaller for very long). If he was a single guy (without the family in tow), he would still have a lot of these expenses. Maybe one less car, less gasoline or groceries, but ... c'mon. Throw us a frickin' bone here...
What triggered all this pity and "whaa whaa, I am a victim of circumstance"? Well, there are some modestly big expenses looming that I am trying to be aware of:
- air conditioning in my car (going without does not work for MD summers!)
- visit to MI and back this summer (planning to do this in my currently a/c -less car). We'll be with family most of the time so it won't be extravagantly costly, but things always do come up...
- needing to get our taxes done (prep can be a little costly, but we have to have the help as our taxes are always screwy) sometime this summer/early fall
- a major increase in deductibles due to ... (well, *grin* again, but I'll get to that)...
So yeah. Feeling trapped. Not very empowered at all at the moment.
In hopes of dealing with my stress about all this, 1) I am blogging to get it off my chest, and 2) I think I will make a list of things I am thankful for:
- seeing Tim today, though he was busy. Maggie always benefits from seeing Daddy midday.
- living in a beautiful rent-free apartment. It won't be forever, but I am thankful we have it now.
- being home with my girl,
- being in the right academic program (even though it will take too long and cost way too much money, it totally is the right program),
- not having much morning sickness at all this time around, b/c
- oh yeah! I'm totes preggers. :) :) :)
(I will interrupt my list to let you know I have been to my OB/GYN/MW once so far, and that we think I am about 8 weeks along. Feeling really good for the most part, though I am tired many days. Haven't had a sonogram yet but my EDD - calculated by myself - would put me due somewhere around early-mid January 2011! Sonogram will be in about 3.5 weeks or so. Very excited, though much more aware of the work involved in having kids now, so it's a different kind of emotion! I will likely get thru my fall semester just fine and then take off the Spring '11 term while we adjust to life with 2 critters.)
Also thankful for
- good leads on finding a counselor (an "on-going pre-req" for my program),
- having a summer course under my belt for this term,
- my darling (learning all the time, growing like a weed, goofball of a) daughter,
- that she's napping right now and I can chill, :)
- growing friendships (it has taken a while, but it is happening - what a joy!),
- good health,
- my family,
- feeling good! (Yeah, I already mentioned this, but it would be a million times worse if I was constantly nauseated and had to keep my head in the toilet 24/7!)
You know, making those "thankfulness lists" really does help my perspective. I should try to do it more often!
12.09.2009
communication!
We've been having some fun little breakthroughs with Maggs in the communication department. Of course, she chatters away all the time and much of what we do is guess and go by her emotional cues (oh, and she has emotional cues!) ... but for the sake of my memories (and not being a diligent scrapbooker or baby-booker), here are some of things Maggie says/signs as we approach the 18mo mark:
- eee eee eee! (Depending on inflection, this is either a monkey OR a toothbrushing request)
- hewp/ewp ("help!" - usually w/getting in a chair or out of a basket, she also signs this by clasping her hands together and raising them up and down in front of her - very close!)
- uh-oh!! (her phrase of choice ... for mischeviousness, for dropping things, for...just about anything!)
- umma umma! (Yum! I like this! ... or want this!)
- da (refers to Dad ... and sometimes other relatives ... an oddly enough, Ms. Ruth, our church organist)
- mama (yes folks, that's me!)
- nasal snorts (in general she is looking at a picture of a pig when this happens)
- quack/guack (duck sounds, she also signs "bird" for just about every kind of aviary she sees ... and sometimes for other animals as well? She talks about birds a lot!)
- oof oof (says a dog)
- tayoo (I swear I've heard this and in context it could really be "thank you"!)
- signs "eat" and "more" and "all done" and sometimes makes a drinking motion for a cup of milk
I am sure there more, but I know I'm forgetting some things. I will add to the list as I remember/witness more of these fun little "breakthroughs." :)
And many happy wishes to my sister-in-law/new mama (the girl is a natural): Amy, who birthed Sofia Victoria on the morning of December 3! She is such a sweet girl who we got to spend the last two days with and we are looking forward to many more visits in the future! Many blessings be upon your days together and may God continue to bless this beautiful family: Amy, Gonzalo, and Sofia!
Me with (the slightly jealous) Magdalena and new cousin, Sofia!
- eee eee eee! (Depending on inflection, this is either a monkey OR a toothbrushing request)
- hewp/ewp ("help!" - usually w/getting in a chair or out of a basket, she also signs this by clasping her hands together and raising them up and down in front of her - very close!)
- uh-oh!! (her phrase of choice ... for mischeviousness, for dropping things, for...just about anything!)
- umma umma! (Yum! I like this! ... or want this!)
- da (refers to Dad ... and sometimes other relatives ... an oddly enough, Ms. Ruth, our church organist)
- mama (yes folks, that's me!)
- nasal snorts (in general she is looking at a picture of a pig when this happens)
- quack/guack (duck sounds, she also signs "bird" for just about every kind of aviary she sees ... and sometimes for other animals as well? She talks about birds a lot!)
- oof oof (says a dog)
- tayoo (I swear I've heard this and in context it could really be "thank you"!)
- signs "eat" and "more" and "all done" and sometimes makes a drinking motion for a cup of milk
I am sure there more, but I know I'm forgetting some things. I will add to the list as I remember/witness more of these fun little "breakthroughs." :)
And many happy wishes to my sister-in-law/new mama (the girl is a natural): Amy, who birthed Sofia Victoria on the morning of December 3! She is such a sweet girl who we got to spend the last two days with and we are looking forward to many more visits in the future! Many blessings be upon your days together and may God continue to bless this beautiful family: Amy, Gonzalo, and Sofia!
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