be back in a bit...

I have some bloggy type thoughts of things to write about soon, but I will have to wait a few days; a friend will be borrowing our 'puter. When Joel asked me about this, I had to take a deep breath and consider how I would get by:) Maybe I'll be super-productive! I have to tell whoever is reading that we almost completely finished our Christmas shopping today...and....we got a Christmas tree....and...I've almost got all of our addressed organized for the Christmas card. I decided today that I think I should be pregnant more often because I am so much more organized this year than in the past. Hmmmm....never mind...pregnancy is a beautiful thing, but the first four months were not so fun this time. At all.

Anyway, have a wonderful week. Happy Christmas Season!!

Giving Thanks...

Thanksgiving was a smaller affair than usual, but it was still so wonderful. We went over to my mom and dad's and in addition to family members, we were able to spend the holiday with our very special family friends (part of the family, at least).Thanksgiving is such a fun holiday, especially when you're not in charge of the turkey:) I felt more reflective than usual and truly thankful for all the God-given gifts in my life. While we have more than a few missing faces around the table and we missed them all so much, we're looking forward to seeing them all sooner than later! We had a special treat when it started to snow and Auntie Kels took Parker out in the snow! Isn't is fun to watch children appreciate these small wonders? It is snowing again today and Parker is practicing his newest word: NOOOOOO (which translates to snow). Funny how it sounds similar to his other favorite word!

Here are just a few of the many, many photos taken on Turkey day...

~insomnia~

It is almost four in the morning and I've already been up for a couple of hours just waiting to fall asleep again. Is this a normal pregnancy symptom? I've read that a lot of women in their 3rd trimester can't sleep because they can't get comfortable or they keep getting up to go to the bathroom. This isn't the case for me because I, thankfully, have neither of those problems. I just can't sleep and it is super-annoying because I know that my little one will be waking up in a few hours and he won't care if I feel like a zombie...he wakes up running and I have to run after him:)

Anyway, this is all I have to say at 4 am. And believe it or not I can't even find any cute pictures to post right now because they're stuck on my camera with a dead battery. I just thought that blogging a little would help me in the sleep department. So far...not so good :(

On certain mornings...

This is what "getting dressed" looks like in our house:)

Nostalgia...

I am very nostalgic these days, especially in my choice of Christmas music. I admit that I start very early....beginning of November! I have been buying a new Christmas CD each winter because I want it stay fresh and new, all while being nostalgic...hmmm.

This year, I have been a bit indulgent and have bought TWO new CD's for the season! The first one I bought was Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. I think it is from an old radio recording, which I think is very cool.

And last night I picked up Burl Ives' Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer! Oh my gosh...I love it so much! The music reminds me so much of my childhood and the cute little movie with Clarice:) Maybe I'm so into the old stuff right now because our house was built in the 40's and I love imagining what kind of music was playing here back then. It is crazy to think about how many people have lived in and loved this home. Did you know Bing Crosby is from our little city? Maybe he lived in this very house:)

Even though I buy a new Christmas CD every year and I love almost all of the music of the season, the favorite will always be Roger Whittaker. It is totally 70's retro and very much an acquired taste, but we love it because we grew up with it! Please share your favorite so I can put it on my list for next year!

you said you wanted pictures...

Here it is...our new couch!






I know you've been waiting....











Okay, so I couldn't resist. I'm totally kidding. Not my style and it wouldn't be my first color choice. What is that? Coral?

I've been trying to get a real picture of our couches, but how do you take a good picture of microfiber furniture?

This is a picture of our living room on a typical night after Parker has gone to bed. This is the love seat. See...you can't really tell what the color is or what it really looks like, but you can get an idea. Plus, you get a great shot of our hideous antenna on the top of our CD player. Lovely:)

This is the real couch and my cool sewing machine...which is totally decorative in my case.


So this next comment is totally unrelated to furniture, but I had to admit something: Pregnancy makes me crazy! I've realized that motherhood, in general, has made me more and more extreme in many ways....but this is just out of control! I used to be such a level-headed, laid-back person... I have no idea what has happened to me. Even when I was pregnant with Parker, I was still emotional and irrational at times, but this baby has taken me to a whole new level. So, yesterday, I cried because Joel was going to go to lunch with some guy friends without Parker, which meant I couldn't go to Pier One without Parker (because we all know how much fun that would be). Now, I didn't just cry....I totally lost it! And these kind of things happen all of the time. My poor husband. Now, I wonder if this craziness increases with each subsequent pregnancy? I hope not. Who knows what would happen with a third...Oh My.

Are we there yet?

Every so often, Joel and I feel like we might have made it to adulthood. I mean, I know that we're technically considered an adult when we're 18, but I really think that it is a process to grow into that label. So, technically, we've been grown-ups for 10 years or so (Joel, not me...he's old:), but we're still trying to feel that way.

Yesterday, however, we felt like we had a very "grown-up" day. Two momentous things happened to us and both were deliveries to our house: our brand-spankin' new sofa and love seat were delivered AND our return address stamp with our very own address on it came in the mail! Wowsers:) I feel like I might have over-blogged this topic, but I'm just so excited to be settled into a life of our own without feeling like we're going to move soon and both of these deliveries just confirmed that life is feeling normal.

The address stamp is pretty self explanatory! We've just never lived anywhere that we knew we were going to stay so I've always just hand-written all of those return addresses on waaaaay too many Christmas cards. This year is going to be different because we have a flashy new stamp with our name on it. What a year:)

We've never before bought any furniture with plans to have it last for the long-haul and these pieces of furniture are definitely items we want to keep. After moving the furniture in the living room around and around, we finally settled on the setup. Poor Joel....I just have to blame the indecisiveness on the pregnancy...because I can. We plopped down on our new cushy couches and grinned because we knew that we just might have arrived at adulthood. It's a good day...he he!

Thursday Thirteen: 11.9.06

Thirteen things I want to remind myself of during those first few weeks of my new baby's life...

If everything goes my way and my OB is persuaded by my great argument, I will be holding our new baby in less than 3 months from now--February 6th to be exact! I thought I would put together a list of things to read back to myself in the early days when things can feel overwhelming. Do you have anything to add?

1. Stay in the hospital as long as they'll let you--real life begins when you get home so enjoy this unique time.
2. Take pain meds as long as needed for surgery--don't try to go off early because of pride.
3. Set realistic goals and don't plan on getting much done.
4. If baby has bad reflux again, don't worry because you have experience this time and know what to do.
5. Swaddle, swaddle, swaddle.
6. Relax and let people take care of you...but make sure to set boundaries.
7. Give the baby a pacifier right away and introduce a bottle not long after--it isn't going to cause problems.
8. Remember that you are not cheating Parker of special time with mom; you've given him a gift of a new sibling!
9. Use a sling to carry baby around so hands are free to help Parker.
10. Let baby sleep wherever it happens and don't get wrapped up in establishing a schedule; bad habits are not established this early on.
11. Expect lots of crying...from everyone!
    
12. Enjoy this moment--it will be over in a flash!
13. Take as many pictures of this second baby as you did of Parker.
    

For more lists like this, visit Thursdaythirteen.com

Oh My!

Just so you know, the name of my blog actually means something. I wasn't just pulling cute words out of thin air... The "Amy " part is obvious..it is my name. But the "Oh My" part? Well, it is a phrase I often use when I have no idea what else to say. It is often accompanied with a wide-eyed look between Joel and I that says...

Is this really my life?!

Life with a toddler is sort of funny (as you veteran mama's know). Here are a few everyday "oh my" moments from this past week.

• May cause excitability in young children. It is nap time for Parker, but at the moment he is jumping on his bed and seeing how far he can throw his huge collection of pacifiers across the room. Apparently, the cold medicine is causing some hyperactivity. Sigh. Oh My.
• I actually hid the elephant book. I know, it sounds just terrible, but I couldn't handle it anymore and it is just for a few days so I can catch my breath. On Saturday morning, Parker woke up at 5:15 and as soon as his feet hit the floor, he ran and got the book and demanded that we "read book". And we did...three times before 6 am. I have no idea where this obsessive behavior came from:) Oh My.
• Maybe a bodily fluids issue? Parker has always seemed to go extreme when it comes to all the gross things that go along with babyhood...puke, pee, drool, etc. Lovely stuff. He has drooled a lot his entire life and it didn't take us long to figure out that it has nothing to do with teething. I mean, seriously, he's 18 months old and if he didn't wear a bib, he would probably go through at least 3 shirts a day. At home, he wears huge, ugly, rubber-backed bibs all day (see pic above) to catch the stuff--and he goes through at least two of those a day. I'm trying to get him to just close his mouth, but so far, it hasn't worked. Oh My.
• The boy looks bald. So Parker needed a haircut and we've found that it turns out just fine when we use the clippers at home. Usually. This time, I asked Joel to cut it since he did such a nice job last time. I don't like Parker's hair cut super short because then he looks bald and way too old. We picked out the little things you put on the clippers to make sure you don't cut too short; a one inch for the top and a 1/2 inch for the sides. Joel got started and I was standing nearby to help distract Parker with treats. I noticed an unusual amount of almost white tufts flying to the ground, and for a moment, just thought that his hair was extra long. Turns out that the 1/2 inch thingy was used for the entire head! A head that looks almost bald and huge dark circles under his eyes from a little cold...Parker has seen better days! Oh My.

My giraffe and growing girth:)

Okay...so I know that I promised to post pictures of the Parkster yesterday, but my sister was with us and we went shopping! And you know how shopping just poops you out? Well, my typing fingers didn't have the energy. Parker looooooved being a giraffe. He actually asked to have his costume on and he certainly thought he was so funny and cute! Our little party was a super fun time to spend with family and friends. We all ate so much! So here is my little giraffe...

I also wanted to add this picture of Parker and a sweet woman at the Alzheimer's home we went to visit. I think she believed that Parker was one of her own and took a liking to him. And I think that Parker may have given her a little gift of love because he thought she was pretty special, as well. He even gave her hugs and blew her kisses. Ohhhhh...I just love him.

You may wonder why I always take pictures of Parker in a sepia tone. Well, he has such light hair that his hair seems to glow and look like a halo in color pictures...anyway, just so you know...

I've had a few requests for a new picture of my growing girth. I agree that it is time to update because this is when I just pop out! What do you think? I think I may have gotten the "special treatment" at the grocery store the other day! I'm about 25 weeks now and when I compare pictures from the last time around, my belly looks exactly the same. Hmmmm....maybe another 7 lb baby? I hope so...

I couldn't figure out which one was better. Both are just so flattering...ha! They were both taken this morning but why does it seem one belly is bigger? Maybe the baby actually moved!

Works For Me Wednesday

This is a last minute post before I get ready for bed ... and don't you dare look at what time I'm posting this:)

Here is what works for me today: toothpaste as jewellery cleaner. I asked a jeweller once about how I could clean my wedding ring at home and he said that they actually use toothpaste at the store. So I just whip out an old toothbrush, apply some paste and gently scrub away. I have found that I can get my ring cleaner at home than if I ask someone to do it with their big machine. Make sure you put the stopper in the sink if you are working over it...I have had a few close calls!

Now I'm off to bed...enjoy your clean rings!

For more tips like this, visit Rocks In My Dryer.

halloween, elephants, and giraffes

Ohhhh...I'm just so excited for today! Today is Halloween, of course, and we are having our second annual Halloween party. Actually, it is just basically family coming over but I get to make my very special Pumpkin Chili and display my new table runner I made:) And...I get to dress up my boy as one of his favorite animals, a giraffe! Parker LOVES his costume and hugs and kisses it whenever we let him. I wonder if he'll like having it on? We're going Trick or Treating at a retirement home this morning and then we'll come home and get ready for our party.

Speaking of Halloween and the sometimes scary things that go along with it, Parker is suddenly afraid of everything! He's always been afraid of elephants. Elephants...even elephant's in books or Baby Einstein or the sound of elephants on his Raffi CD. But here is the strange part...this is Parker's favorite book:

I mean favorite. Favorite as in we read it maybe ten times a day....and it isn't a short little board book. Parker is waaaaay over those little kid reads:) This was one of my favorite books as a kid so it is actually pretty fun to read. And maybe it will help get Parker over his fear of these scary creatures.

Oh, and be prepared for plenty of pictures of my giraffe in the following days...I just might go overboard:)

The Half Birthday!

I realized that I missed an important post...Parker's 1/2 birthday:) I have been finding that the second year of life is going even faster than his first. Oh no! Here is my boy in pictures: First 3 pics are from the day after birth (middle one with Auntie Vicky) and 7 weeks. Second 3 are from 5 and 6 months and the third set is current, of course!

I just wanted to edit this to add that I don't even remember Parker looking like this first picture. Aaaahhhh...he is so beautiful and I regret missing this very brief stage:) It isn't because I have just forgotten that they can look this small but I seriously don't have any recollection of his second day! I was seriously loopy and was still repeating my sentences over and over. I think I had a strong reaction to one of the drugs. Good think we have tons of pictures...as you can see!!

I was on a little outing yesterday by myself and I went into Barnes and Noble and drank a decaf latte. I picked up a little book about mothers and sons and I remembered again why I love being my son's mama. One of the quotes said something like this...

*As a baby, your son will always be searching for your face. This will never change.*

I love this because I find it to be so true. While little boys are born to be little independent adventurers with all of their car sounds and filthy faces, Parker is always looking for my face for reassurance. I am so blessed.

~I must add that I now feel more excited to have a daughter someday...whether it be in a little over 3 months or down the road. Right now, I'm just enjoying my role as Parker's mama:)

Regrets anyone? No perfection here...

I have to admit that I really like watching and reading celebrity interviews... and I know that I'm not the only one:) It seems like we are often surprised at how human these famous people seem after hearing an interview with them. However, does it ever occur to you that most of them, when asked if they have any regrets about their past decisions, often say they wouldn't change a thing because all of their mistakes have made them who they are today (or something similar)? Sure, I believe that some of them like their lives and like who they have become but is there anything wrong with admitting mistakes? Is there anything wrong with having regrets in your life?

Like I said the other day, I'm really happy with where I am in my life right now. I do think that many of my decisions have made me who I am. But I will say that I certainly have regrets and have made a lot of mistakes. I'm human and I am just plain mean, dumb and sinful sometimes. My biggest regret is that as a result of my mistakes and bad decisions, I have hurt people--even those that I love the most. I have hurt people with my words and even more so by what I haven't said...the looks I've given...the judgements I've made. I regret all of these things. I don't want my bad decisions to be dirty little secrets that I brush under the rug because I think this can hurt others even more. I want to live a life of transparency and I admit that I'm not perfect...far from it.

This little rant of mine is not intended to be a blanket apology to all of those that I've hurt in my life; it is just one of my attempts at living my life honestly--like a hardwood floor:) And thank God for His forgiveness...

Happy to be...

moving forward, living my life today, in the moment...

...These are all things that I'm feeling lately. I feel like I've just recently started moving forward in life again. I'm experiencing my life again instead of watching it happen to me. I haven't really sorted out why I have felt so restless in past months and years and I've tried so hard not to desire to be in the past or in the future, but I just haven't been successful. *I was thinking the other day about how I haven't even cheated this year and listened to Christmas music yet. Sorta sounds silly but I think that it is telling. I don't want it to be Christmas time yet because I am enjoying the season we're in so much. In the same way, I don't wish that it was still summer. *I'm not wishing that Parker was a little younger or a little older--I love his age and I just wish I could freeze time. *I don't even wish that this little baby was here yet. I'm certainly looking forward to meeting the little one, but I'm really enjoying getting to know him/her right now. It is a special type of intimacy that mother's get to share with their unborn babies. I'm so thankful that I'm over the toughest part of pregnancy. Now I get to enjoy the wonderful, maternal feeling of carrying life while not carrying around a ton of weight. *I'm also excited again to be meeting new friends and cultivating relationships while just a few months ago, I didn't quite feel ready. *I'm really loving my home. I liked it before but now I feel like I can make it mine. I even took a picture of our garage and the leaves around it! I even love our garage:)

There are so many more things that I could list that I am feeling good about....and maybe I will later.

Here are a few pictures of the everyday life that I'm so happy about right now. Parker and I took another trip up north with MOM'S club for a hay ride, pumpkins, doughnuts, and apples. I think it was more fun for Parker than mom...it was so much work for me because I had to carry two children much of the time:) There is another picture of Parker at our park smiling because he was so proud of himself for going down the big slide. And the other picture is of our park that we live right by. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful place.

What a little pumpkin...

Last week we went up north again to enjoy some fall fun. It is hard to imagine that this is the same place that we picked berries just over a month ago. The seasons have certainly changed! Now there are pumpkins and gourds all over the place! Parker had fun riding in the big wagon and we only told him to sit down on his bottom 10 or 15 times! We enjoyed the trip with my mom and my grandma...how special is that?! After going through a little maze and picking out pumpkins, we went to another farm to eat some yummy fall treats--including some pumpkin ice cream. I like pumpkin anything and I wait all year for the the flavor to come back into season. Today, some friends brought us pumpkin doughnuts...yum! Maybe this is not such a good time of the year to be pregnant...this baby may be huge because I'm enjoying so many treats:)

Growing Girth: Installment #3--almost 22 weeks!

It has been a while since I posted a picture of my growing girth. I feel like I've recently fallen off the wagon in the growth department. I never thought that I'd say this but sometimes I wish I had a more obvious pregnant belly--at least one that is more like the other bellies at this point in pregnancy. I just want the special treatment:) Today, I had one woman I know tell me that she was relieved that I was talking about the pregnancy because she thought I miscarried. And another woman at the dentist asked if something was wrong with the baby! Nope, just a well shaped uterus:) Anyway, I'll count my blessings now, because in a few months I will be wishing for this belly back! Sorry the picture is blurry...I took it of myself in the mirror!

p.s. you can see the changes from last time here...

Praying Parker

It has been so fun having Joel home with us this past month or so. Parker has become quite a Daddy's boy--which I think is just great because next month, I'll be the favorite! Parker has also become quite spiritual lately:) In all seriousness, I believe children have a unique relationship with our creator and are able to recognize God in all sorts of ways that adults have lost since childhood. As parents, we have this special opportunity to relive that wonder with our children--if we allow it. It has been interesting to see Parker try to imitate some of our daily practices.

• Praying- Parker likes to get us to pray with him all the time. We hold hands and bow our heads and after many, many prayers, we have to start to be creative and thank God for Parker's teeth or something like that because it seems like we've prayed for everything else (I know...totally not possible)! Parker peeks all the time but he tries really hard to focus on the prayer! He likes to say, "amen".
• Reading the bible- Parker will often drag Joel's bible over and ask over and over to be read to. Joel does and it makes me so proud. Even though Joel tells me that it is because Parker really wants the pen that is inside the bible, I choose to believe that Parker wants to hear the bible stories.
• Musical praise- We keep Parker with us during the first part of the church service so he can be a part of worshipping God through music. Parker gets into a sort of trance when the music starts and just doesn't snap out of it! He waves his hands in the air like a mad-man and plays air drum like none other. The head-bop is also something else. I love how free he feels to express himself...t is such a great reminder for me!
  

Our beloved Lazy Bones

I have been wanting to write for such a long time now, but I haven't found the right time. Joel has been home with Parker and me and for some reason, I have a harder time finding time to get online. Those boys keep me busy. I have a few things to write about but only enough time for one subject. Later I will tell you about Parker being smacked by a bully and my Mama Bear claws coming out and about our new small group at church. But now...I'm going to tell you about our newest baby and his or her new nickname: Lazy Bones.

We had our ultrasound yesterday and got to see for the very first time our beloved Lazy Bones. I know I've said this before, but Parker was such an excited little boy even before he was born. The kid never stopped moving around when we saw him on ultrasound. I thought we had a monkey in my tummy and, as it turned out, we did:) This baby never really changed positions during the 20-25 minutes that the probe was on my tummy. He or she is head down, as low as possible, and the head was cocked to one side. The tech was trying to get it to move around but the most we got out of the baby was a little toe wiggle or finger in the mouth. And these are actually movements that I felt... so it is clear that the baby never moves more than this! Since the baby didn't turn, we really didn't get a good idea of what the babe looks like. We got a few shots of the face straight on but those tend to look like scary Halloween faces. We did get a few profile shots but they weren't really clear. Our only conclusion was that the baby looks a bit like Parker--and we think that is a really good thing.

In reality, the fact that we didn't get to see what the baby looks like doesn't matter and actually makes me more excited for the birth. We did find out that baby is healthy and strong and measuring right on track. What wonderful news! And the fact that the baby is lazy doesn't bother me a bit because...well, you could just as well say that about me:)

Go Cougs...but please don't take me in the water!

Parker had his first swimming lesson yesterday and, as you can see from his face in this picture, he enjoyed it quite a lot! He was the only kid in the class that was upset but I attribute that to his little fall into the lake this summer:) It actually got better as the lesson went on and I think he might have smiled a couple of times. I'm just glad that he was with Daddy and not me--he might have persuaded me to take him out of the pool!
The day got much better, though, and Parker experienced his very first Cougar football game. We traveled to see Kelsey and joined her to watch her beloved Cougs. It was so fun! It was a close game and very intense. Parker learned how to root for the team and really joined in on the action. He ate the majority of our bag of kettle corn...see the above picture of Parker and Kels! Gotta give up good nutrition when you're at a game!