Memorial Weekend

The three of us (make that four, since Cooper tagged along) took advantage of our three day weekend together.  Saturday we ventured to Grand Rapids.  It was like a ghost town when we arrived shortly before lunch time.  We spent the first part of the day at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.  I really didn’t know much about the man, so it was a great chance for me to add to my knowledge of American presidents.  I thought it was pretty interesting that he wasn’t voted in as President OR Vice President, yet he became the President of the United States!

The other museum we visited on Saturday was the Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts.  Ezra sure is getting exposed to some cool stuff!  There were some wacky exhibits at this museum, but we enjoyed the unusual and unique perspectives of the artists showcased at this stop.

Here’s where our plans didn’t finish up as we’d hoped.  A Red Hot Chili Peppers concert was taking place that night (unknown to us until we saw the crowds forming,) so the town was flooded with concert-goers.  Every place we considered for dinner had crowds of drunk smokers congregating near the doors, and it just wasn’t the family-friendly environment we wanted.  So, we walked to the hotel, picked up the truck and drove to the next town for a dinner at Chili’s.  All-in-all it was a good day, even with the snags in our plans.

Sunday we drove west to the shore.  Lake Michigan is supposedly beautiful, but we only got glimpses of it.  Whereas the California coast is easily viewed from a considerable distance due to the sparse trees and elevated, rocky shoreline, the West Michigan coast is blocked from view by the dense trees and flat terrain.  We were able to take a trail to a vista point of the beach, and what we saw looked like a nice place to layout and get some sun.

On our way back home we stopped in Kalamazoo.  We planned on having lunch at Bell’s Brewery, but between having the baby and the dog being with us, we sadly resigned to Burger King.  Our next vacation will probably be dog-free so we can have a few less hindrances on venue selection, be it hotels or restaurants.  While traveling with the baby can be fun, it does change what types of things we do, too.  Of course, having a baby changes everything!

I came across a Trace Adkins song that reminded me to enjoy each day for what it brings…because I’m “going to miss this.”

Monday, Memorial Day, the three of us (Cooper stayed home this day) went to a friend’s house to barbecue and let the kids play in a kiddie pool.  All three couples had children, ranging from two and a half months to two years.  It was nice to be around a group that didn’t mind if the conversation turned to “kid stuff.”  Ha ha!  How quickly our topics of conversation have changed since becoming parents!

Ezra enjoyed his first time in a pool.  He liked splashing and I think he enjoyed the cooling effect of the water on such a hot day.  Another first for the little guy was getting his first teeth in.  His dad and I guessed a few months back when he’d get his first tooth/teeth.  I guessed at six months, and his dad guessed by Memorial Day.  Dad was right on the money!  Yesterday and today have been challenging for us, as the little guy has been crying and uncomfortable with his teeth continuing to come in.  I wonder how long this will last.

It’s time for an update!

Chairein, friends!  It’s been a while since we’ve “talked,” hasn’t it?

Things are going splendidly in our household.  Baby E is now five months old!  He slept 10-11 hours the past two nights with only one wake-up for nursing each night.  That rest has me feeling like a new woman….or at least a much more capable version of myself.

Baby E, his daddy and I went to Louisiana for a wedding and to visit family and friends.  It was really wonderful to spend time with some old friends from grade school and college.  One friend even threw me an early Mother’s Day brunch…so sweet!  While Cooper and Daddy had to return home after a week of visiting down south, baby E and I flew to California with his Paw Paw to look at houses and enjoy some SoCal sunshine.  After much looking and thinking, we’ve decided renting is probably the best option for our family at this time.

Hubby (E’s daddy) is having a birthday this week.  We still haven’t planned anything as a celebration!  Do you have any suggestions for us?  If so, leave them as a comment on this post 🙂

New things about baby E:

• the beginning of teething
• he wakes up on his belly lately
• he’s somewhere between squirming and crawling
• sitting up on his own seems to be coming up soon (He’s almost got it.)
• one more month until we start introducing veggies
• making lots of ‘b’ and ‘p’ sounds and blowing raspberries
• wearing mostly 6-9 month clothes already
• really interested in Cooper, his doggy

Chairein

Chairein, friends!  The Greek translation of this word means “joy to you.”  I love that!  Hearing this really spoke to me.  Beth Moore says that joy is our birthright and cannot be taken away from us.  This message seems pretty fitting to share with you considering the subtitle for my blog is “Finding joy in the everyday moments.”  I discovered this word while participating in week two of Beth Moore’s study of James (James: Mercy Triumphs.)  Chairein is the original Greek word that was translated to “greetings” in James 1:1.

A verse I’ve had on my wall for a few months now is Psalm 126:3.  “The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with joy.”  I guess it’s safe to say that JOY is my theme for this year.  

I’m excited to learn more in this Bible study.  I never realized that James (author of the book of the Bible, James) is Jesus’s brother.  More accurately, he’s Jesus’s half-brother.  They share the same mother, Mary, but have different fathers.  James’s father is Joseph, and Jesus’s father is God.  I’m sure many new things will be revealed to me as I continue this series.

Something I’m thankful for this morning is a second night in a row of baby E getting six consecutive hours of sleep.  With that I’ll leave you with a closing greeting.  Chairein!  (Pronounced Ki Rain)

Baby E

Life with baby Ezra is getting easier and more enjoyable each week.  I think we have finally adjusted to our new life as parents.  It took several weeks, but we are now getting decent amounts of sleep most nights.  Ezra wakes up one or two times at night to nurse, but otherwise has slept pretty soundly.  It’s amazing how big a difference getting rest makes in your day!

E is growing well and has received his first big round of shots.  He had a tongue tie clipped, which has helped his efficiency with nursing.  I think he may have a lip tie, so  we are trying to get an appointment with his doctor scheduled to get that checked.

Our winter has been much milder than last winter.  Praise God!  The warmer temperatures have allowed us to get out of the house with baby E much easier.  The roads have been relatively easy to drive on with the lesser amount of ice and snow this year.

Cooper has adjusted to life with his little brother, also.  We think he will become really interested in baby E once solid foods appear on the menu.  For now Cooper shows interest but knows to be gentle.

Here are some photos from January.  Enjoy 🙂

CHWH Swap

Back in October I signed up for the Cold Hands Warm Hearts glove swap hosted by Sandy and Ilene.  I was matched up with another blogger, Courtney, to send a pair of gloves and other goodies to in the mail.  This blog post was supposed to be submitted December 13, but I was a little busy that day.  I was in the hospital preparing to give birth to my sweet baby, Ezra.  So…I think that’s a pretty good excuse for running late on this little assignment 😉

Courtney sent me some awesome goodies.  I received a pair of brown gloves.  They’ve already been put to good use up here in frosty Michigan.  She also sent me two cute flower hair pins, a fun green bracelet and a package of great smelling bath products.  Thanks, Courtney!  I hope you got your package from me in time to participate in the blog link-up and that you like the goodies I sent your way.

32 1/2 weeks

Wow!  Time is flying!  It looks like I haven’t done a very good job of keeping this blog up to date.  Here’s a look at the progress I’m making on my to-do list:

• scrapbook 2010 and 2011 1/2 way done with 2010
• purchase necessary baby items (items still needed: more nursing bras and pads, cloth diapers, wet bags, humidifier)
• do a major cleaning on the entire apartment, going through everything we own and getting as organized as possible (this is always a work in progress, ugh)
• find an outfit for our maternity shoot in October
• attend birthing class will be done with this tomorrow
• pick out and purchase a new computer (not sure if I should get a laptop or another desktop)
• pick out and purchase a new printer  my parents are giving me one, so this isn’t an issue anymore
• find an outfit for my sister-in-law’s wedding in November
• turn 26
• have remote starter installed on my car
• get new tires before the snow starts (also need an oil change)
• do all the Christmas shopping about 1/2 way finished
• buy a Christmas tree
• decorate for Christmas
• get one last hair cut, because who knows how long it’ll take me to get back to the salon once baby’s here scheduled
• enjoy these last months of pregnancy with some quality time with the hubby in progress

I still have lots to do, but I’m making some progress.  We had our maternity photo session two weeks ago.  Hopefully we’ll have those photos to share soon.  I can’t wait to see them! 

The cold weather is starting to set in.  It was 31 degrees last night.  I can’t say I’m thrilled about this, but at least these pregnancy hormones are keeping me a little warmer than I’d be without them.  Considering I’ve been warmer than usual, I’m so glad I get to be pregnant in an area that isn’t too hot and humid.  So, there’s one perk to being in Michigan!

The trees gave us some beautiful Fall color, but it didn’t last long.  I’d guess we had about two weeks of nice color.  Most of the trees are either green or brown now, with a few remaining yellow and orange leaves here and there.

Hubs took this photo of me and my babies 🙂  If you’d like to vote for this photo (cropped version) to help me try to win a family photo session, click here and like the photo.

When I figure out the problem with my photo converter I’ll share some more photos from the past few weeks with you.  Until then, Go Tigers!  Right now they’re beating Auburn in the second quarter.

17.5 weeks

Wow!  How did I get this close to the 1/2 way mark already?  Our baby is about 5 1/2 inches long from crown to rump and weighs around 6 ounces.  It’s incredible that our baby was only the size of a poppy-seed 14 weeks ago. 

In less than two weeks we have our big ultrasound appointment.  The doctors will carefully look at the baby from head to toe to find if everything is developing well.  We also might find out the sex at this appointment.  I haven’t decided if we’ll announce that bit of information immediately.  It would be kind of nice to have it as our own little secret for a while 🙂  I’ve shared everything else up to this point.

My parents came to visit us last week.  Showing them our town and hang out spots was fun.  We sure did eat well (or a lot) while they were here!  This baby will certainly not be malnourished!

I’m working on our baby registry.  If anyone has suggestions for things they thought were absolutely necessary with their kids (or kids they saw grow up) or things that were a waste of money and not used, I’d love to hear them!  I’m having a hard time picking a playard.  There are so many to pick from.  I guess I need to take another trip to the store to see them in person and really inspect the features and designs.

 

Weekends are my favorite!

Last weekend we went to New York City!  We figured it was the perfect time to have a little weekend getaway.  We drove (about 9-10 hours each way.)  The drive there was filled with torrential rain and wind, but the views were quite lovely when the rain would slow enough for us to see past the road.  Pennsylvania has a lovely landscape.  It’s different from what I expected with all of its forest-covered hills/mountains.

We arrived at our hotel around midnight on Thursday.  Friday morning we had breakfast at Lindy’s “Famous” Diner.  I would not eat here again.  We paid about $40 for a less than average quality meal and terrible service.  We were already starting to feel like tourists!  Next we walked to the Empire State Building and paid to go to the top.  It was a very foggy morning and still early, so we lucked up with relatively unobstructed views due to the small crowd.  Seeing most of the city from one point was neat.  There was an audio tour, but I only listened to a few segments of it.  After our “tour” at the Empire State Building we walked around Time Warner Center near Columbus Circle.  It’s a very nice looking shopping center with lots of windows and high ceilings. 

From the shopping center we walked to B&H Photo and Video (the company I’ve purchased lots of my camera gear from.) I enjoyed seeing the store in person after only seeing their website and catalogs. It’s huge! I guess that’s the theme in NYC. They have a very efficient system to get your merchandise from the back store-room to the check out area with a conveyor belt. I wound up getting a camera bag that is MUCH smaller than the one I packed for the trip. As much as I love my Kelly Moore bag, it was too much weight and size to carry around all day long.

Following this little shopping detour was our walk back toward the hotel and a quick stop for a slice of pizza along the way. After a much-needed midday nap, we decided to head back out into the city. We walked to Central Park and started to hear thunder. It was decided that we should head toward buildings so that we could take cover inside one of them should rain follow the thunder we were hearing. Before we could make it to any buildings the sky opened up on us. We were completely soaked from head to toe. There was not one single inch of our bodies that wasn’t drenched. Awesome. Not. As if to rub it in our faces, the rain stopped as quickly as it had begun. There we were standing in the sun and dripping wet.

I’m sure you can guess what we did next. Yep…we went back to the hotel to change clothes and dry off. We mustered up our courage and decided to try the park again. When we reached that same southwest corner of Central Park, the same thing happened. Luckily it wasn’t quite as hard of a rain and we made it into a nearby shop only moderately wet. This shop happened to be a gelato shop, so all was well. Hubs got a small gelato, and I ordered a large limone granita. Sometime between the first drenching and the second onset of rain we walked to Dallas BBQ on 72nd or 73rd street to have dinner.

After the rain slowed to a drizzle we headed to the hotel. We decided that was enough rain for one day. We spent the rest of the evening watching Criminal Minds and the Comedy Channel on the flat screen in our room. This sounds like a lame thing to do on vacation, but we don’t have a tv anymore which made it almost fun. I’m still happy with the choice to give our tv away, however. I truly don’t miss it.

While that may not sound like a lot, it was a lot to do in one day (especially for this pregnant lady!) I noticed some hip discomfort this day, but attributed it to the increased walking and possible widening of my hips. Is that a pregnancy symptom? It seems like I’ve heard it somewhere. By Friday night I was practically walking with a limp from the discomfort. It turns out that after returning home and sleeping in my own bed for one night, the pain was nearly gone. It must have been from having to sleep on my sides on that firm hotel mattress. (I’m not supposed to sleep on my back because this could greatly decrease the blood supply to the baby due to the pressure of my uterus on my vena cava and another major artery that is escaping my mind now.)

Saturday morning we tried a new restaurant for breakfast. This time we ate a Benash delicatessen, and it was at least ten times better than Lindy’s for the same price! I had a delicious croissant with bacon and cheese on top along with fresh fruit, orange juice and I think maybe some other small side. (I’m blaming the forgetfulness on “pregnancy brain.”) Hubs had corned beef and hash with rye toast and some coffee.

Next we ventured to…drum roll please…Central Park for a third try. This time we had perfect weather. We walked from the Southwest corner of the park to the Southeast corner and then headed north. We didn’t just walk the perimeter. We took some paths that enveloped us in a refreshing canopy of green leaves. After a while we decided to cut across the park to reach the western side (since we planned on meeting friends for lunch in that direction.) I led the way and took us on a bit of a detour on accident. We ended up walking around one of the lakes in the park and had further than I originally thought to make it to our lunch meet-up spot. Luckily we still had plenty of time and dear hubs got us going in the right direction. We confirm the stereotype about men and women with directions! So, after a very long walk in the park we made it to the Southeast edge again and then headed to the Lincoln Center. Here we waited for Brittany, my lovely friend of many years and talented singer/dancer/actress, to arrive. The three of us then proceeded to enjoy the lovely weather by meandering through an outdoor art market before walking to our lunch spot, Cafe Fiorello. We met up with another friend, Sarah, who just so happened to be spending the weekend in NYC as well! It was awesome to have our mini-reunion/lunch date 🙂

Lincoln Center

After lunch Sarah left us to rejoin her mom, aunt and cousins for shopping while Brittany, hubs and I headed for the subway.  We stopped to see Ground Zero and the new construction in that area.  Battery Park was only a few blocks away, so we walked there to see the Statue of Liberty in the distance and many sailboats on the water.  Once we’d had our fill of that faraway lady on the water we enjoyed a walk on the Sky Line, which is an old railway line converted into a park and public outdoor, landscaped walkway.  I’d seen an article a week before we took this trip to NYC, so I was very happy to see what I read in person so soon after. 

Our last stop of the day was at a really cool outdoor restaurant bar.  The location of the restaurant was originally used as a turnaround for trains.  I can’t remember the name, but I’ll work on finding it.  **Update: The restaurant was The Boat Basin Cafe.**  Another Sarah, one of Brittany’s friends from NY, met us there with her mother.  We ate and drank (I had a virgin pina colada and lots of water) and had a wonderful evening together.  From here hubs and I took the subway back to our hotel and proceeded to have a very sound night of sleep!  It was another long day…fun, but long.

on the subway

Our last morning in the city was spent at Sarabeth’s, a restaurant along the Southern edge of Central Park which is known for having great breakfasts and pastries.  Brittany met us there 🙂  I had a delicious omelette with a tomato and pepper sauce on it.  Mmmm!  The banana muffin was tasty, too.  After breakfast we said our goodbyes and headed to the hotel one last time.  Our things were already packed.  We grabbed our bags and retrieved the car from the parking facility.  (Thanks for the parking coupon, Brittany!) 

The ride back home was uneventful and less stressful that the drive we’d done to reach the city on Thursday.  I attribute this to the calm weather of Sunday.  It was also Father’s Day.  We called our dads and wished them well on their special day.  We are both blessed to have very loving and supporting fathers that did a pretty good job raising us.  Yes that sounds like bragging 😉

I picked up Cooper on Monday from the boarding facility.  I told him he was going on “doggy vacation,” but I don’t think that change of wording fooled him.  Ha!

This week has been life back to normal.  The only thing different than usual is that I’ve got a scratchy throat and some congestion.  It’s even worse being sick when you’re pregnant, because so many medications are off limits.  Even the approved medications are substances I try to avoid unless I really feel they are needed.  I don’t want to put anything in my body that isn’t completely necessary while I’m carrying our baby.  It just doesn’t seem worth the risk of having any negative side effects.

Tonight we are continuing the fun weekend trend by going to a baseball game.  It will be my first time in a VIP suite…for any game, not just baseball.  I’m drinking hot tea and eating soup and hoping to feel well enough to enjoy tonight’s event.  If you read this whole post, good for you!  It was a long one!

Ah, now that’s better.

I’m feeling a little better since my last post.  I think the past few days of sunshine have certainly helped to boost my mood.  The hubs and I are also planning a fun weekend getaway, so that’s given me something to look forward to, also.  AND I have an appointment for a much-needed haircut scheduled for tomorrow!  Hooray!  I needed a haircut a few months ago, but decided to wait for a little while once I found out I was pregnant.  I’m feeling much less nauseous and ready to brave the chemical-laden den, aka the salon.  It’ll be a new salon and hair dresser for me, so I hope I am pleased with the experience and results.

I still am not rocking a baby bump (unless you count the bloated belly I get after a big meal!)  That’s okay, because all of my clothes still fit.  It’s the stage between not looking pregnant and looking pregnant that concerns me.  That’s also known as the “I’m not fat, I’m pregnant!” stage.  Ew.  Nothing like looking fat when you can’t help it to make you feel beautiful, huh?

Anyway, this post is mainly to reassure you readers that my life is not all doom and gloom.  I’ll leave you with a photo of a cute gosling that has resided at our pond for the past month or so.  The photo was taken in April.  He’s bigger and less cute now.  Ta Ta For Now!

So cute…until you see all the poop they leave on the sidewalk.

P.S.  I forgot to mention that Spot is approximately the size of a peach this week.

 

I need some inspiration. The wall is getting painted. 13.6 pounds.

Lately, I feel that I don’t have a creative bone in my body.  I haven’t taken any photos in weeks, and my scrapbook hasn’t had any page additions since July.  I’m at a loss for ways to spice up and decorate the apartment.  Where has my imagination gone!?!  I need to find it.

In other news, I’m looking into buying a Kindle or Nook as an e-reader.  I’m not sure why I really feel the need for one of these electronic books, since I buy less than 10 books a year.  Maybe I should just wait until my shopping urge dies down and save myself a couple hundred bucks.

I’ve lost 10.2 pounds since May.  While this is good, my goal was to have lost fifteen pounds by today.  Oh, well.  It’s still a victory.  I’m setting a new goal for weight loss that I plan to reach by the end of 2010.  My goal is to lose 13.6 pounds.  It is a reasonable goal that I know I can accomplish.  My previous goal of fifteen pounds would have been met if I had not gone so off course on my eating plan this past month.  13.6 pounds/16 weeks = 0.85 pounds per week that I will be aiming to shed.  Wish me luck!  More importantly, wish me self control!!!

The feeling of homesickness has been paying me some visits these past few weeks.  I know that’s just part of living away from family, and I’ve accepted it.  Still, it’s not a fun feeling.  Luckily, I have a fantastic get-away planned!  It isn’t for a few more months, but it is definitely giving me a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Painters will be here soon to add a little color to one of the walls in my dining room.  Maybe this will be the boost I’ve been looking for in the creativity department.  I hope so!   Well, I’m off to run some errands.