Orrs Online

Joel HasAMiddleName Orr!

2011-08-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

Joel can come now because we have finally chosen a middle name for him. He has almost been Joel Andrew, Joel White, Joel Lynn...all in an effort to find a name that is both a.) a family name and b.) something we actually like. My family had a reunion last weekend, and while there it occurred to me that my grandmother's maiden name was Williams. Jamie's grandfather is also named William even though he goes by his middle name, so we tried Joel William on for size. I shared it with my dad today, and he loved it, so it's a go!

I don't think if I've mentioned this before, but both my parents are convinced that my ultrasound is unclear and that the baby I'm carrying is a girl. My dad "just has a feeling," and my mom attributes it to small differences between this pregnancy and my last one. Jamie and I just call this wishful thinking :-). Two ultrasound techs have confirmed we are having a boy, and I've had an instinct from the beginning of my pregnancy that he is a boy. But either way, if Amelia Lynne should come instead of Joel William, and you are willing to loan me some newborn girl clothes, I would be so appreciative!

Micah is doing so awesome in speech therapy! We can see his vocabulary growing each week, and our speech therapist has been so pleased with his progress. This week she told me that she doubts his original (more serious) diagnosis of apraxia and thinks instead that he has an expressive language delay. This is good news! A lot of words that he says now are words a brand new talker would say (hi, bye, etc.), but for us this is a big deal! He's also really taken to sign language. This is a tricky thing for him because if he had it his way, he would probably just sign and not speak. Now we are working on getting him to say the words that go with his signs in order for us to "understand" him.

I probably won't post again until the baby is here. We have almost 3 weeks to go. I'm trying really hard not to rush it along because I know he will come, and then my "easy" life with just one child will be over. At the same time, I'm so looking forward to meeting him and not being pregnant anymore :-)

Joel's Post

2011-06-25T10:53:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged too much about my pregnancy, so I wanted to devote a post to Joel and how he and I are doing this summer.

I'm very excited about meeting him and having another newborn to cuddle. I wonder about his personality and if he'll look like his brother. I also wonder if he'll be a good sleeper like Micah, and if they'll have similar struggles (ie. speech) or if Joel will be totally different. I also have some anxiety about managing two. Micah is very into asserting his will lately (read: Terrible Twos); he really needs one person on him at all times.

How this pregnancy is different...

- No swelling...yet :-)

- Joel is extremely active, more so than Micah was

- Exhaustion
I went back to read my summer 2009 posts to find out if I felt as tired and worn out then as I do this summer. I didn't, but then again I spent all day behind a desk and not chasing a toddler who wants to be outside 24/7. When I pray at night with Micah, I say, "Thank you Lord for bringing me through another day." I can't even think about July and August.

- Hunger
Up until this week, I could have eaten full meals every couple of hours, preferably pizza or Cocoa Krispies. This week I feel like Joel is finally pushing on my stomach so I feel full (bloated) a lot quicker.

- Exercise
I was much more disciplined about talking walks when I was expecting Micah. At 30 weeks pregnant, I'm just now starting to do that with Joel. Strangely enough, I'm slated to gain the same amount of weight this time. I guess I'm exercising more than I realize chasing after Micah.

Jamie says we're done after two. I'm not so sure anymore. On one hand I know being done makes sense. I like things just so, and I get overwhelmed easily. I'm not sure I could manage more than two kids. On the other hand, I would love to have a daughter, and so I'm not ready to give up on that just yet. To be continued...:-)

Micah's Speech Evaluation

2011-06-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

Micah had a speech evaluation Friday with the Children's Developmental Services Agency at ECU. They came out to our house and evaluated him for about 90 minutes. Micah was very cooperative, and I felt like the evaluators got an accurate picture of his capabilities. His skills are age-appropriate or just slightly behind in every area except for speech, which is what I suspected. Although a definite diagnosis can't be made yet, the speech therapist who came thinks he has childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). This is a motor speech disorder, and the best way I know to describe it is that when Micah's brain sends a message to his mouth to form words, there's interference. Speech therapy was recommended, so we are in the process right now of selecting a provider.

I've had a whole range of emotions about his diagnosis, which I'm still learning about. On one hand, it was very affirming. I've always suspected that he had a speech problem, even when most people didn't notice it or felt like we should just wait to see what happens. Even the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist who put in Micah's tubes thought his speech delays were directly related to the fluid in his ears. To all the parents reading this, I would say trust your intuition. I'm also grateful that we got him evaluated early and that he'll begin therapy before he turns 2. His chances for progress are very good.

On the other hand, CAS is more than just your average speech delay. If we did nothing, Micah would never outgrow this and just one day begin speaking clearly. Although therapy is very effective - our evaluator said Micah's case was not severe and that she fully expects him to be a talker, start school on time, etc. - there are some kids who struggle with this throughout their life.

There are also moments when I get mad at God for allowing this. Didn't I pray so often for Micah's health while I was pregnant? I have visions of Micah starting school, and because he may not pronounce all his sounds exactly right at that point, being bullied. I just want to put him in a glass bubble and protect him from all of that.

So that's where we stand now. I have been so impressed with the ECU agency and everyone we have worked with so far. I am praying now that we choose the right therapist for him and that the therapy works.

Who's In Charge

2011-06-17T17:02:00.001-07:00

Have you ever asked yourself, "Who's in charge in my house?" and grimaced at the answer? It's easy for me to look at other people's lives and make judgments about who runs their home. In far too many cases, I think it's the children. But I hadn't really thought of my own family that way until tonight. Let me start by saying that my child is an excellent car rider, a wonderful sleeper and he holds my heart in his hands, but he behaves terribly in restaurants. I guess he has far too much energy to sit in his high chair for 30 minutes, but as soon as he is done eating, he throws a tantrum. It is extremely frustrating, and yet I refuse to stop eating out because 1.) I enjoy it, 2.) I don't feel much like cooking these days and 3.) I'm rebellious like that.

Tonight we ate at Pizza Hut, and as usual, Micah started throwing a fit before our food had even arrived. Except this time, he burst into high pitched squeals. He knows we hate this. Jamie and I both looked at each other, panicked, thinking how can we shut him up? Do you want Dad to hold you? Do you want to take a walk? Why, yes mommy, that's exactly how I hoped you would react. Then it hit me: he is so playing us.

Restaurant discipline is a real struggle for me. At home time-out works well...and utilizing the DVD player at mealtime (I know, I know...)...but I feel my options are severely limited when we're out in public. First and foremost, I'm concerned that we don't disrupt another person's meal. So I do whatever it takes to make him quiet, even though I'm probably just reinforcing his behavior. And then I just get mad because I feel like other people's kids don't act like this. I know they do sometimes, but every time?

So tonight, Micah was definitely in charge. My best friend Stephanie said, "The only way to teach him how to behave in a restaurant is to keep taking him," but is there more I could/should do? If you have wisdom in this area, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Heavenly

2011-06-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

We took our annual trip to Myrtle Beach with the Dicken family June 9-13. We had the best time yet...the boys were old enough to play together, and they both enjoyed the water so much. The weather was perfect, the ocean was calm, the food was delicious, Micah (mostly) behaved...we didn't want to leave.

This child is fearless...which is scary

He is obsessed with hoses/showers/running water. He was most entertained just standing here turning the water on and off.

My loves

The first bump photo I've taken this pregnancy...28 weeks

Playing in the tide pools, our favorite activity this trip

Summertime and the Livin' is BUSY!

2011-06-09T18:09:00.001-07:00

I really need to blog more so I can remember my life as the weeks go by. We've spent a lot of time at the beach lately. Micah LOVES the ocean and playing in the sand. He eats like a man when we're there and sleeps well, although he did rise before 6 several days and demanded to go immediately to the ocean. When we told him that it wasn't time yet, he would bring us his sandals or our beach hats as if to say, "now we're all ready." So funny!

We did have a scare with him three weeks ago. Jamie and I were scoring a race in Cary when my mom called and said that Micah had a rash on his arm the size of a quarter. We decided that she should take him to urgent care when he woke from his nap, and when he did, two more welts had broken out on his face. We were thinking a spider bite, but the doctor at urgent care thought it was a bacterial infection called cellulitis. This can be serious if not treated, but we got him antibiotics and assumed all was well. Two of the welts disappeared almost immediately, but the third is still there. I took him to our pediatrician at home - we started doing online research (I don't advise this lol) - and were worried it could be something much more serious like Lyme disease. Our doctor said she didn't think it was cellulitis or Lyme disease. Instead she called it a granuloma. She described it more like an allergy. In three weeks it hasn't gotten worse but it also hasn't gone away. I'm considering taking him to a dermatologist for a third opinion.

While seeing the pediatrician, we also talked about Micah's speech. Since getting tubes, his speech has not improved. My heart is to be a non-irritating but still squeaky wheel, so I brought it up at this visit in hopes that we could now get him evaluated for speech therapy. Our doctor agreed it was time for that. She reassured me that he does not have a diagnosable condition (like autism, for example) - he's very social and understands/obeys commands too well - but we do want him to catch up with his peers on speech. I'm very excited that we're finally at this step as I can't wait to hear him talk instead of pointing and grunting. Even so, Jamie and I are constantly amused at how he is able to communicate without using many words. Pointing and the word "up" can get you far in life ;-)

Some of our summer plans include...

Kindermusik camp in June
Annual trip to Myrtle Beach with the Dicken Family
Swimming lessons in August
Baby brother in early September...ahhhhhhh!

Mother's Day 2.0

2011-05-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

This is random...but I think we are each burdened for different causes or things, perhaps based on our own life experiences. One thing that my heart particularly aches for is women who either can't get pregnant or who have problems in their pregnancies. This has not been my particular experience, but I thought a lot about it before I ever got pregnant, probably because I wanted children so badly. And now, hearing of such a thing, especially if I know the woman, is very emotional for me. Four months after Micah was born, a relative of a friend had a stillbirth, and I was in a funk for weeks over that (today, they are the proud parents of a healthy baby yay!). But anyway, I have a friend now who is going through some uncertainty in her pregnancy, and I know she would appreciate your prayers.

***

Jamie scores a race each Mother's Day weekend in Burlington, and for the past three years, we have continued on afterward to Charlotte. We always go to Concord Mills and Ikea, and two of the past three years, we have purchased our nursery furniture on this trip. I hope this doesn't become a habit lol. My mom kept Micah this year, and although we missed him, we really enjoyed 1. eating dinner without food flying in all directions and 2. shopping without feeling like a (crying) bomb might go off at any minute. We were so happy to see him on Sunday, though, even though he would have preferred to stay with Mimi and Granddaddy.

We had a great time this year, but I couldn't help but remember the fun we did not have on this trip last year. We took Micah, and he got his first fever and went on an eating strike. He was 8 months old at the time, and we were constantly worried about his weight, which at the time was creating some serious conflict between us and some members of my family. I cried a lot that weekend. It was my first Mother's Day, but I felt like I was failing at parenthood.

So this year was much better, thankfully! I've decided that I don't, in fact, suck at parenting. Tonight, for example, Micah was throwing a fit and so I grabbed an oven mitt, waved it in his face and growled like a bear. He thought it was the funniest thing ever. These are the types of things I do throughout the day, every day to make my child smile.

Book Winner!

2011-05-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

Last week I advertised a drawing for a free copy of the book I am reading right now, The Hole In Our Gospel. Well, today is the day! I wrote down everyone's name who entered (there were 9) on a separate sheet of paper. Then I folded each sheet and put all the sheets in one of Jamie's hats. Then I let him blindly reach in and pull out a name. And the winner is...

SHANNON COX

Congrats! I was Shannon's RA in college. Today she is married and has two adorable little boys who are about the same difference in age as my two will be. Shannon, I will get in touch with you asap about getting the book. If you didn't win, I hope you'll still consider purchasing a copy. You won't regret it!

Tubes, Royals and Good Deals

2011-04-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

Micah's tube surgery was this morning, and it went very well! He was over the anesthesia and back to himself by the time we got home. The hardest part was handing him over, crying, to the nurse so she could take him back for the surgery. Thankfully, the royal wedding provided a great distraction during the procedure. I'm thankful to everyone who prayed for us and/or left us a sweet message on facebook to let us know we were in their thoughts. My mom called around 8am and wanted to know if Micah was speaking sentences yet haha. We both have high expectations for this surgery! Speaking of the wedding, I am not a big "royal watcher," but Kate (or should I say, the Duchess of Cambridge) took my breath away! She is so beautiful and seems very poised and ready for the life ahead of her.

Thursday afternoon I went to the Lil Pirate Exchange consignment sale in Greenville. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but since pregnant ladies got "first dibs" on the merchandise, I decided to check it out with my friend Dawn. We both walked away with so much great stuff! I got Micah a "manly" kitchen with all the trimmings (cookware, plastic food, etc.) for $30, a tricycle (a 2nd birthday present?) for $11, an adorable ECU polo for $3.50 and several puzzles for around $7. He was so excited when we brought the kitchen in. Jamie asked, "Did you get anything for Joel?" Yes and no. Everything I bought for Micah will eventually be his :-) I've been to other consignment sales, and this one had some of the best (nicest) merchandise for some really incredible prices. They do a fall sale too, so check it out!

Who Is My Neighbor?

2011-04-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago I started reading The Hole in Our Gospel. I'm generally not a slow reader, but I can't handle reading more than a few pages of this book at a time. The text is not intellectually deep, but it's making me really uncomfortable. I've never been challenged this way before. As I'm reading, I will occasionally say to myself (as if I'm conversing with the author), "well, yes, but..." and then a few pages later, he'll address my "yes, but."

I'm not easily won over, emotionally. I thought The Shack was silly. But I can't tell you how many times I've been reading this book in a doctor's office or some other public place, and I have had to blink back tears so I won't embaras myself. And the author hasn't even launched into the really emotional stuff yet; he's still just presenting facts and his personal story.

I think this book is shaking me so because the author is so much like me (and you). He was very successful by American standards (great job, great family, Christian), and he held many of the same beliefs that I hold (and you probably hold too), particularly about the poor (not how I wish I felt or how I want to feel, but how I really feel). Then he became president of World Vision, and over time, his beliefs changed. And as they did, he began to ponder Jesus' second greatest commandment, Love your neighbor as yourself, and to answer the question, who is my neighbor?

I'm so passionate about the message in this book that I want to give a copy away to one of my friends. If you're reading this post and would like a copy (either an e-book or a hard copy), please leave a comment. On Monday, May 2, I'll choose a winner at random. Contest open to US residents only, no purchase necessary to enter ;-)

Easter, Ears and a Fetus Update

2011-04-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

Easter 2011

We normally are out of town for Easter, and I always wish I was home to attend our church. This year we decided to stay put and do just that. I was so glad we did...what a powerful worship service to celebrate our risen Lord! Micah also go to participate in the Easter Egg hunt after service on Saturday night. We've never told him how to "do" an egg hunt...he just figured it out.

Micah at the Covenant egg hunt, laughing at Mrs. Melissa

An update on the ears...after several phone calls to our ENT doctor's nurse, we got Micah a new appointment for this Friday! I am so excited; this was a huge answer to prayer. I have to catch myself sometimes from assuming this surgery will be the cure-all for every delay he has. Although the doctor seems to think Micah's speech and balance issues are due to his ears, I just don't want to have unrealistic expectations and expect immediate improvement. We will see...I am hopeful!

Micah and Daddy

Joel seems to be doing great! He is very active, especially at night. Micah was the same way, and I remember worrying that he would be a terrible sleeper once he was born. Not the case, he's excellent. I just can't imagine that the squirmy fella inside of me is really going to stay put another 19 weeks. We've decided to do a monkey theme in his nursery. I've opted against buying the traditional crib bedding set (we don't use the quilt or bumper), but I did find an adorable monkey sheet along with some coordinating accessories, and my best bud Stephanie is going to paint a mural on the wall. My current vision is to have the crib in the middle of the wall with a palm tree coming up on each side and monkeys swinging on the trees. Our thought is that the boys will eventually share this room, so I don't want it to look quite as babyish as Micah's did. I can't wait to see it all come together...and to post pictures..and to put a baby in there :-)

Tick Off Tuesday

2011-04-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

I love him so much!

UPDATE: God has answered my prayer!! We got Micah's surgery moved up to next Friday! Praise the Lord!

Tick Off Tuesday...a day late. As I mentioned in my last post, Micah is scheduled to get tubes in his ears, but the surgery is not for six weeks. This drives me insane. I was basically told, "This is a 5-minute surgery that will greatly improve your child's balance, hearing and speech...but we can't do it for six weeks." I tried calling our doctor's assistant to see if we could get an earlier appointment based on the severity of Micah's condition, but she won't even call me back. Which brings me to my next gripe: customer service. I believe Eastern Carolina ENT is the only shop in town, which probably means they could care less about customer service because where else are you going to go? And they also charge $300 for a 10-minute office visit. Every time I see Micah trip over air (it feels that way sometimes), I get all riled up about the injustice of it all. I really want to call the doctor's assistant back tomorrow...and get her voicemail I'm sure...and say I'd really just appreciate a call back, thanks very much. But acting like a butt might not soften her to our cause, which could mean we'll never get an earlier appointment. Grrrrrrr

Micah's Ears - Update

2011-04-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

We had a great appointment this morning with Micah's ENT doctor. Micah has fluid behind both of his ears, which means he hears as if he had a finger stuck in both ears. This obviously impacts his hearing and speech, and it's also affecting his balance. I was so relieved to hear this because his speech and gross motor skills are two things I've really worried about. When your baby isn't developing exactly like other children, you tend to think the worst: autism, neurological defect, etc. I know he's really smart, and our pediatrician reassured me that he does not appear to be autistic (he's way too social for one thing), but I have still wondered what was causing these delays. Now we find out that one thing - this fluid behind his ears - is likely responsible for all of them, and there's a treatment in site!

Micah is scheduled to get tubes in May. I asked if he would need speech therapy afterward to catch up with his peers, but the doctor said that at his age, he should catch up quickly on his own. I know most parents probably don't get excited about their child having surgery, but I'm thrilled to know that there's a low-risk treatment for him that should really improve his quality of life.

I'm also getting really excited about having a newborn again. I still worry about juggling both boys and making sure everyone's needs are met, but I'm feeling more confident all the time. Micah is so sweet with other babies; his friend Emily was at our house this week, and when she started to cry, he took her a passy. He also tried (a little roughly I might add) to rock her in the car seat when she was fussy. I really love seeing him develop empathy.

New baby's name is Joel, made official by the fact that I ordered something monogrammed this week. I really wanted to give him a family name from my side since Micah is named after Jamie's side. Unfortunately, we don't have many good male names in my family, so right now we're leaning toward Joel White Orr. White is my maiden name for those who didn't know me before I was married. We try to talk about Joel to Micah - Joel's room, Joel's clothes - but I don't think he gets it yet. Soon enough!

Meet Joel

2011-04-10T16:38:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying we were not super impressed with the quality of these ultrasound pictures. The problem might have been that Joel had his back to the "camera," or he just might not be as photogenic as his brother ;-) In any case, we were thrilled to hear that he's healthy and growing like a weed.

Joel at 19 weeks. He weighs 9 ounces, and his heartbeat is 155 bpm.

Cute little profile picture...his nose reminds me of Micah's

Creepy shot of his eye

This shot is not as convincing as the one where we learned Micah's gender, but I trust the ultrasound tech ;-)

Gender Party

2011-04-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

Our cake was BLUE - It's a BOY!

Thursday, April 7, 2011 - Ultrasound
We had several, "Um, WHAT?" moments at our appointment. The first one happened when I checked in. I asked if they were doing a urine test in addition to the ultrasound (I really had to go), and the receptionist said, "You're not scheduled for an ultrasound." "Um, WHAT?" Turns out, two patients with the same last name had appointments that morning, and she was looking at the other girl's record. WHEW! Once we went in, we explained about our gender party and asked the tech to put the gender information in an unsealed envelope that we brought. She agreed to do it, but she said that most couples peek before they even get to the parking lot. At that point, Jamie and I had pretty much decided that we wanted to know before the party. At the same time, we knew when we picked up Micah afterward, my mom (and babysitter) would ask if we knew, and we didn't want to lie. So we decided we would look after we picked him up. No lies :-)

When the ultrasound began, we immediately noticed that the baby was laying with its back up. The tech was able to see all the vital organs - everything looked great - but she could not see the gender. She told us that the baby would have to move or she would not be able to tell. Um, WHAT? We've already planned a big party...but then a few minutes later, she quickly turned the screen toward her and said she got it! I think we both suspected it was a boy then, but honestly, I've felt that way since I learned I was pregnant. With both my children, that is one detail God has always shared with me. I feel like I've just "known" from early on both times.

I thought I would be a little disappointed at not getting a daughter, but I wasn't. I was so happy to hear the baby was healthy - and that I was measuring 10 days ahead of my due date! Now he is due September 1. I'm also thrilled about getting to re-use all of Micah's cute clothes. And when I get visions of the two of them playing in the tub together or all of us going to Disney World, I'm so happy.

We are still finalizing a name, but we're pretty sure Joel will be part of it, and that's what we plan to call him. So yay for Joel (or whoever you end up being)...we can't wait to meet you!

Micah's Ears

2011-04-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

Micah was the healthiest baby his first year of life, but when he turned 1, he started getting ear infections. He's now had 6...or is it 7?...and the last three have not healed well. We are now on our 3rd...or is it 4th?...different antibiotic. I had chronic ear infections as a child, and the antibiotic Micah is on now is the one that helped me, so I hope it works for him! In any case, we will soon be visiting an ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat) specialist to determine if tubes (or something else) will benefit Micah. Our pediatrician is concerned that the ear infections may be affecting his hearing and consequently his speech, which is delayed for his age.

Jamie is concerned about Micah having surgery at such a young age, but I had tubes three times as a child so it doesn't seem as big a deal to me. I'm more concerned about him being on antibiotics so often and the affect that has on his little body and his appetite. We have never questioned whether or not Micah can hear us, so if the infections are affecting his hearing, I think it's minor. But, we have noticed that when he speaks, he often will only say the end of a word. For example, passy comes out as assy or aa-ee. We think he may not be hearing himself start to speak, so he loses that first letter or sound. This is just a theory of ours, but I will be interested to see what the specialist says.

Please keep him in your prayers. I'm pretty optimistic about the whole thing. I've been concerned that he is not speaking as well as many of his peers, especially since he seems to understand us so well and has loved books since he was an infant. If his hearing is the problem, and it's something that we can correct, then to me that's a "best case scenario." In any case, we are praying for wisdom for our doctors and also for Jamie and me, that we will make the best decisions for Micah.

It'll Mess You Up!

2011-03-30T13:31:00.001-07:00

Recently a certain book crossed my radar so many times that I felt God was urging me to read it. It's called The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, president of World Vision, one of the largest humanitarian relief organizations in the United States. I'm only a few chapters into the book, but it's helping me see the gospel as more than just a way to get to Heaven. It's also an invitation to have my heart broken for the things that break the heart of God. In other words, the gospel is also about using my life to serve the least, last and lost, just like Jesus did.

This is something that has long been a challenge for me as I live quite comfortably in my Christian bubble. I have long considered myself a pretty good Christian: I married a Christian, we are active in our church, we have a beautiful family and wonderful Christian friends, we tithe, and occasionally when needs arise outside of that, we are happy to write a check. But is that all that God expects of me? That's the question that Stearns attempts to answer in this book. A phrase I heard often when I was on the Covenant staff, when someone encountered a book, experience, etc. that was really life-changing was, "It'll mess you up!" This book is messin' me up! I can't wait to read more!

Gender Angst

2011-03-26T10:47:00.001-07:00

I'm obsessing about the gender of this baby. I have dreams about it. I look up "gender prediction methods" online. I try to focus really hard and see if I can "figure it out." Our ultrasound is in a week and a half, but our gender party isn't until 2 days later. I know I should wait until the party to find out like we planned, but can I? Jamie and are both thinking we might want to know before the big unveiling.

I had a dream last night that we were having a boy, and I was disappointed. Then when I woke up, I was disappointed at being disappointed. I wouldn't take any little girl in the world for Micah, and yet, I think most moms dream of having a daughter. I also think if Micah had been a girl, I would be just as hopeful that this new baby was a boy. We know this is our last child, and if we had one of each, then I would really KNOW this was our last child. But it is regardless, we've decided. For us it wasn't a financial decision (not that we can afford 10), but knowing our personalities, we both feel like we can handle two. We're people who love order, routine, schedules, etc., and I think more than two would feel overwhelming to us. Heck, sometimes one is overwhelming!

So my prediction? I think it's a boy. And if it is, I know I will fall in love with him just like I have with his brother.

On a totally unrelated and very random note, I'm always joking with Jamie about traveling the country in an RV once our kids are grown. Except I'm not joking. I really want to do this. He seems somewhat interested. He offers to take me to the RV show when it comes to town. MckMama is doing this with her family of seven...I'm way jealous, in an "I wish I had the balls to do that" kind of way.

Better Late Than Never

2011-03-25T09:17:00.000-07:00

People had always told me that you tend to do less documentation with your second child than you did with the first. I thought I would be different, but I'm not. No belly pictures this time. No weekly updates. I think I'm just too busy cleaning up poop and vomit with #1!

Speaking of poop and vomit, we've been plagued by sickness this winter. For some reason, I thought that breastfeeding would keep Micah from ever getting anything. Not so. He catches anything and everything and then shares it with Mom (Dad has somehow managed to avoid it all). Tubes are in Micah's future if he gets one more ear infection. I had tubes 3 times as a child, so he gets it honestly.

I'm 16 weeks pregnant Sunday, and the baby seems to be doing well. The heartbeat was strong - 160 - at our last appointment many weeks ago. I borrowed a pocket fetal Doppler from a friend so that I can check the heartbeat anytime, and it continues to be strong. We have our ultrasound in early April followed by our "Gender Party" two days later. No names yet. I'm still sickly, but it's manageable.

Micah is such a joy lately. He loves to be outside. He now gives me kisses when I ask him, which I love. He is all boy - his caregivers in the church nursery have told me "there's a cast with his name on it waiting for him in the ER" and "he only has one speed: full throttle." He is not afraid of anything, which scares me.

We are back in Kindermusik this semester, and sometimes I feel like I'm paying for me to take the class instead of him. He absolutely loves going, squealing when we pull into the parking lot, but he rarely follows the "order" of the class and instead walks around doing his own thing. He enjoys it though, so it's worth it.

As for Jamie and me, we've been very busy (thankfully) with spring races and getting my former office cleaned out so the new baby will have a nursery. And taking care of sick boy. Praying for wellness as we move into the spring!

A Pity Party and A Gender Party

2011-01-26T18:10:00.000-08:00

The first eight weeks have not been particularly pleasant. I'm pretty much nauseous all the time, and my really gross spittle problem has returned. Some of you may remember that when I was pregnant with Micah, I produced about twice as much saliva than is normal. This very annoying problem leaves me with an urge to spit constantly. I finally got up the nerve tonight to look back at my last pregnancy journal to see how long this lasted, and I stopped writing about it at 22 weeks. AHHHHHHH! My favorite times of day right now are when I'm eating (no spittle) and when I'm sleeping (no nausea or spittle). I'm still trying to be a decent wife and mommy, but wow it's rough sometimes. I know it's all worth it...I tell myself this often on the really rough days...

In between feeling really sick, sorta sick and mildly sick, we've planned a cool way to learn the gender of our new baby. When we have our ultrasound around 17 weeks, we'll ask the technician to write down the gender and put that information into an envelope that we'll then give to my friend, Jenny, who bakes the most amazing cakes. She's going to make a special cake for us, with the batter being either pink or blue to match the gender of our baby. We'll then have our family over for a barbecue a few days after the ultrasound and find out over dessert what we're having! I will be super shocked if that cake is not blue!

A Birthday Surprise

2011-01-26T17:52:00.000-08:00

I told Jamie that I wanted a surprise for my birthday on January 11, but neither of us had any idea that we'd be getting one! We recently discovered, to our shock and delight, that we are expecting again! Our new little baby is due September 11, 2011, just 6 days after Micah's 2nd birthday.

I was a few days late in January, but I didn't really panic...it happens sometimes. But then on Friday, January 7, Micah and I were at the Marbles museum with some friends, and I was not feeling my best. I also had a gnawing hunger that, if not quickly satisfied, made me nauseas. I finally decided to take a pregnancy test the next morning. I was sure that I was wasting a perfectly good test...organized, scheduled planners like myself don't have unplanned pregnancies...but when Micah and I checked the results, there was no doubt!

Jamie and I walked around in a state of shock all day, but by that evening, we had decided to tell my family. I know a lot of people wait awhile, but we didn't with Micah and decided not to this time. Besides, we were going to the Japanese steakhouse for my birthday dinner, and when I ordered my steak well done instead of my usual medium rare, my family figured it out.

We are very excited, and we know how blessed we are to get pregnant so easily. We also see the benefits now of the timing of this pregnancy: my maternity clothes will match up perfectly as will our baby clothes if we have another boy (I think we will). Micah and the new baby will also be close in age, which hopefully means they'll be close in other ways.

My prayers for my family right now are: that the baby would be healthy; that he would grow to know God in a personal, intimate way; that I would not be as sick as last time (so far it's worse); and that Micah would continue to know how very loved and special that he is.

The Funnies Just Kept Coming

2010-12-07T07:04:00.000-08:00

...That night continued to get better ;-) Jamie's parents offered to babysit Micah so that he and I could have a date night. Jamie is always telling me how dangerous the city is, so when we had to stop for gas after dark, I got a little nervous. We found a well-lit station in a good part of town and pulled in. Jamie had just stepped out of the car when four teenage girls ran up. From inside the car I couldn't hear what was being said, but I distinctly remember thinking, "Crap, we are being robbed by Taylor Swift fans." A few seconds later, one of the girls was pumping our gas! I kept trying to catch Jamie's eye, but he wouldn't look my way. After pumping our gas for a few minutes, the girl and her friends left. Jamie was smirking when he got back into the car, so I knew everything was cool. He said the girls were on a scavenger hunt, and one of the items on their list was to pump a stranger's gas. Random.

So next we headed to a restaurant recommended by Jamie's dad. The wait was about 30 minutes, so we found a spot to sit up near the hostess stand. Soon after, a black woman and her mother came in to inquire about the wait time. They were not satisfied with what they heard and began to debate whether it was worth staying. At that point, the younger black woman claimed she heard someone back in the kitchen say to her, "Well then take your @$$ back to the city!" This was all happening right in front of us, and we did not hear this comment, but both the woman and her mother claimed they did. They asked to speak to a manager, but it turned out the person they accused of making this comment was the manager. So they waited around to speak to his manager. Awkward. They got a bunch of apologies but no free meal. Our food was good though.

A Funny Thing Happened in Baltimore

2010-12-04T18:19:00.001-08:00

This is a funny story that I just have to share. We are in Baltimore this weekend visiting Jamie's dad and stepmom ( having a great time so far ;-). Earlier tonight, I decided to wash some of our clothes. The (senior) Orrs have a very fancy washing machine, so I asked if they would show me how to use it. Michelle patiently walks me through all the steps, and when it's time to pour in the detergent, she reaches for a bottle of Snuggle. "Oh, we don't use fabric softener on our clothes," I told her. She said, "We don't either." I'm a little puzzled, but I let her continue to load the detergent dispenser with whatever is in this Snuggle bottle. It sure looks like Snuggle. Smells like it too. After she finishes and leaves the room, I examine the bottle closely. It's definitely Snuggle fabric softener. They have several bottles. And absolutely no real detergent to speak of.

As soon as Jamie and I are alone, I tell him this story. We both get a good laugh. We decide that one of us needs to tell them that their clothes really aren't clean. Haha. So right now I'm drying dirty clothes that I'll just wash again when we return home. Good times :-)

Planning For Christmas

2010-11-18T17:51:00.001-08:00

A quick pre-holiday post as I scrape dried food off my space bar. This is what happens when I leave my laptop at the kitchen table.

I'm in the middle of Christmas shopping. Normally I'd be done or nearly done, but not this year. I've pledged not to get all stressed out about it - I have great gifts already for Jamie and Micah - and the rest are falling into place. This year Micah's big gift from us/Santa is an "early engineers" train set. He's also getting a neat puzzle/train toy I found at the Holiday Show and some crayons. We're only doing three gifts this year (it was good enough for Baby Jesus ;-). Plus, with 7 grandparents, we have to actively engage in toy control.

We also like to get Micah a Christmas book every year. My goal was to always select a book that tells the real meaning of Christmas. We did that last year with What Is Christmas? by Michelle Adams, but this year I could not resist Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Anna Dewdney. We are in love with this series and all things llama. In fact, Nana Santa told me Micah might be getting the stuffed llama toy from the series.

***

One thing I've learned through my Motherwise Bible study this semester is the power and importance of praying for my children. I've always prayed for Micah, but not in the ways this study has challenged me. It never occurred to me to pray that he would become a Christian early in life; that he would desire the right kind of friends and be protected from the wrong friends; that he would be protected from evil - spiritually, physically and emotionally; that he would be kept for the right mate and saved from the wrong one. There are so many things to pray for, and I just love doing it! It's a humbling reminder to me who he really belongs to, and it's also such a simple thing I can do for him that makes an eternal difference.

First Year Book

2010-11-17T18:32:00.001-08:00

This is Micah's Christmas gift to all the grandparents. I'm so proud of how this book turned out. I'm not a scrapbooker, and I don't take as many pictures as I'd like. But, thanks to our wonderful friends and family who DO take lots of pictures, we got some really great ones of Micah's first year. I hope to make him a book every year...we'll see ;-)

Click here to view this photo book larger

Pumpkin Patch 2010

2010-10-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

We planned several trips to Briley's before we actually made it. We originally planned to go last Tuesday during Jamie's fall break, but then we found out "the patch" is only open to the public on weekends. We had a great time when we finally made it yesterday - in addition to pumpkins, they also have hayrides, farm animals and lots of outdoor toys. I know it'll be even more fun next year when Micah's running around (hint, hint kid ;-).

We let him choose his own pumpkin

Daddy and Micah

He knows what he's supposed to do when Mom pulls out her camera ;-)

Micah is a friendly ghost :-)

Family photo...with Micah sticking out his tongue

It's the Climb! #notamileycyrusfan

2010-10-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

I entered into a valley experience around the time Micah was six months old, and I finally feel I'm heading back up the mountain! My everyday experiences haven't changed - no big news or changes to share - but mentally I feel refreshed and renewed. I started feeling this way over a week ago. I feared it would only last a few hours, but here I am now, continuing to feel better every day. I don't think my "valley" was particularly unique - I've found that many first time moms hit a wall after the newness of the baby wore off. I will just say that nearly everything felt out of whack - my marriage, my decision to stay at home after working full time, my parenting skills - just everything. But then I read this blog post, and a light bulb went off. I know that Satan hates marriage (among other things) and that he tells us lies to steer us off course. But never had this become so real to me as it did in the last six months. Once I realized what was happening - DUH! - and called the sucker out, my life changed, or at least my perspective on my life. True story.

***

I don't scrapbook and rarely take pictures (although I have good intentions). But thanks to the photographers in our life, we have some really good images of Micah's first year. So I decided to put together a "First Year" book for him on Shutterfly. I'm so excited with how it's coming together and can't wait to give these as Christmas gifts. The book includes lots of pictures, some of my favorite quotes, and a special letter to him from me and Jamie. This is all part of my clever plan to re-invent Christmas this year: I'm aiming for personal, meaningful, and for many people, hand-made gifts over the usual expensive and meaningless crap.

Micah Turns 1

2010-09-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

This post is almost 2 weeks late...I was waiting on my father-in-law to mail me the CD of pictures.

Weight: 19 pounds, 6 ounces
Height: 31 inches
Diapers: Size 3
Clothes: 12-18 months
Sleep: 7pm-6:30 am, 1 nap
1 Year Checkup: Doctor has no concerns about his development!

At 1 year, Micah enjoys:
bathtime
swinging
exploring the kitchen cabinets and dishwasher
waving
dancing (rocking back and forth)
strolling
playing with ball popper and balls in general
playing in the grass
feeding himself and drinking from a cup
playing with mom's cell phone

At 1 year, Micah does NOT enjoy:
diaper changes
being separated from mom (church nursery, Mother's Day Out, etc.)
two naps
being told "no"
mom taking her cell phone back
getting out of the bath
wearing shoes
letting mom and dad eat a meal in peace

Modeling Grandpa Orr's hat

Sitting in my new recliner

Enjoying one of my favorite birthday gifts, a new swingset!

Everybody but me thought this cake was so YUMMY!

Happy birthday to me!

Not a fan of cake :-( By this point I was ready for a bath and bed.

#justbeingreal

2010-09-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

One of my blog goals (yes, I have them) is to move beyond just sharing Micah updates and happy bits about our family. I also want to be real about some of the things I'm thinking or feeling or struggling through in my life. When I think about the qualities in my best friends, the word that comes to mind for each of them is authentic. They are the real deal, as I strive to be as well. So here goes...

Many years ago, I think I said a prayer that went something like this: God, if you would just bless me with x, y and z, then I would be complete. I would spend the rest of my life giving you thanks and just enjoying and nurturing my blessings. God's response shocked me; afterall, that's a pretty immature prayer. But He said, yes. To x, y and z. So here I am, a very blessed woman, whose life is far from perfect. Maybe I didn't consider that, while basking in my blessings, I'd still battle bad habits, insecurities and other sins. Maybe God is trying to teach me that only He (and not His blessings) can fill me. So I'm trying to figure out what that looks like, from a day-to-day, practical perspective, to look only to Him for complete fulfillment. I have not figured it out yet. What I do know is that sometimes, Satan's tracks are so much easier to see in my life than God's, and I don't like that.

***

We celebrated Micah's first birthday Sunday. I am so proud to be his mom! The party was a perfectionist's nightmare...food came off the grill 1.5 hours late, a stray pit bull wandered into our backyard while babies were playing, Micah screamed when the crowd cheered over ECU's final touchdown and win, and he never quite recovered...but that's just life I guess. We had a great time seeing everyone, and some really sweet friends helped us cook and then stayed until late washing all my dishes (yes, you want a friend like that ;-) Micah has his 1-year physical Thursday, so I can't wait to hear the report. We've already pronounced him awesome, so I'm not sure the doctor could tell us any different ;-)

Jenn's Fall Preview

2010-08-15T06:35:00.001-07:00

For the first 2.5 years of our marriage, Jamie and I led a couple's small group through our church. Due to scheduling conflicts among the members - and a little burnout - we took a break last semester. Since then, we've sort of been sitting on our fannies wondering, "Where should we serve next?" When I was pregnant with Micah, we went through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and have since become extremely passionate about our own financial fitness and about sharing what we've learned with others. At different times, we've both said, "It would be fun to serve in THAT ministry," but I guess we were just waiting for the opportunity to fall into our laps (read: lazy). Well, this week it did. A leader from our church called and asked to meet with us about serving in the financial ministry. I am so proud to attend a church that values financial fitness so much - it is of huge importance in people's lives simply because it's the source of either much stress or much peace. So anyway...lots of opportunities to choose from in that area. We are super excited to see what God will do through us!

I kind of forgot over the last year that, in addition to being a mom, I'm also a lot of other things. And after a year of pouring myself 100% into my new family, some of my interests and passions that have laid dormant are waking up. Last week, I starting sewing again. The stars must have aligned just right because I made a complete baby tag blanket in 24 hours. I had so much fun...can't wait to make another one. This is not to say that my family is getting less of me; I've just figured out how to balance things better. So I'm probably stupid for considering having another child soon.

Speaking of children...I'm also helping this fall with MotherWise. My role is mainly organizational, which I used to be really good at before I had a baby ;-) Mainly I just love building relationships with other moms. Last week we had dinner with our neighbors and their two kids. My child was throwing his typical "mom and dad are trying to eat and can't give me 100% of their attention right now" tantrum and banging his toy against the table. If we had been eating with people who didn't have kids, I would have been totally embarrassed. But I wasn't, because I knew our friends understood.

So there's a little update on me (and not Micah this time ;-). He's still my most favorite baby ever though, in case you're wondering.

A Little Wisdom After Baby Wise

2010-08-08T12:05:00.001-07:00

I've been wanting to write a post on Baby Wise for awhile now. In fact, I have a draft saved that I just scrapped. I was having trouble articulating what I wanted to communicate, but I just read my friend Nickie's blog, and she reminds me so much of myself during the early days of implementing Baby Wise.

First, I want to say that we had a lot of success with the Baby Wise principles. Micah goes down awake with little to no fussing. He takes two 1.5 hour naps and sleeps 11-12 hours at night. He's been doing that for months. We are so grateful!

However, it breaks my heart when I hear of moms who want so badly to rock their crying babies to sleep but fear that doing so will create a habit they can never break. I was that mom. Micah has always gone down great at night, but we struggled with naps. Different tips and tricks worked temporarily, but I eventually "caved" and rocked him. I felt like I was failing at Baby Wise at the time; I had visions of rocking my 5-year-old to sleep. But by 8 months, Micah indicated that he no longer wanted/needed to be rocked at nap time, so I started putting him down awake. He transitioned with no problems.

So here's my point: while I embrace many of the principles in Baby Wise, I think in some ways the book encourages independence between mom and baby too soon. Simply put, moms shouldn't feel guilty for wanting to hold, cuddle and rock their babies more than the book thinks is wise.

With the next one, I still plan to establish an eat-awake-sleep routine. I will still do all the tricks to make sure baby gets a full feeding, and I will wake baby up to eat if necessary. I think that alone - keeping Micah from having a long stretch of uninterrupted sleep during the day - helped him distinguish night from day. But I will also rock him/her to sleep if necessary and won't feel guilty about it. Now Micah is mobile and rarely wants to be held, let alone rocked. I miss the days when he would let me rock him, and I realize how quickly those days pass by.

A Peak at Micah-Life

2010-08-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

Dad cannot wait to take me fishing!

Hamming for the camera...I'm used to it!

Climbing on some (probably) antique furniture at my great-grandparent's house

Much more interested in having my picture taken than eating!

Peek-a-boo!

A Dream to Wake Me Up

2010-07-27T12:13:00.001-07:00

I had the craziest, most vivid dream last night that I want to record because it gave me a new perspective on my waking life. I dreamed that I was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. I had been having headaches, so the doctor did a scan of my brain. In my dream, we were looking at the scans together, and he was pointing to various parts of my brain saying, "If the tumor were here or here or here, we could operate, but this area right here (where mine was located), we don't even touch." I was told I would die at anytime, probably later that day. I remember laying in a coffin eating a piece of chocolate cake (Jenni Farrow's Coca-Cola cake that she brought to our July 4th cookout this year...haha) - my "last meal" I guess - just waiting to die, but I didn't. So then I was told, "Well, it will probably be tomorrow." My emotions were somewhere between grief and acceptance. I wasn't really afraid to die, I had accepted that as my fate, but I was so filled with grief that Micah would never remember me and that we wouldn't get to have more children. I remember thinking, "This just isn't part of my plan" (and I love to plan ;-). When I woke up, I was so thankful this had only been a dream that I immediately said a prayer thanking God for my health. Then I went to check on my baby.

Today, I've had a new appreciation for the things that I commonly take for granted: my health, my family, even just sitting in the floor playing with Micah. I realize that although it was just a dream (thankfully), things like this DO happen and none of us are promised another day.

Vacation, Family Planning and More!

2010-07-24T10:29:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our first long vacation with Micah. We went to my parent's house at Emerald Isle for the week. We did not choose the best beach week - the wind was blowing hard and the waves were rough - but Micah did great. He slept very well - something he usually doesn't do on trips - and he loved the beach for about an hour at a time. As any parent knows, vacations are not the same once children come along. I love watching Micah experience the things I love - especially the ocean - but I do miss sitting on the beach for several hours with a book in hand.

This vacation gave Jamie and I some perspective in making a few major decisions about our family. Lately we've been discussing how many kids we want (2 or 3) and how far apart we want them to be (2 years or 3 years). We had pretty much agreed on 2 kids 3 years apart, but this trip might have changed that. We are a very go, go, go couple - we love to travel and do things all the time - and although we love the baby stage, we are very excited about all the things we can do with Micah when he's 2, 3, etc. Then it occurred to us that around the time he gets REALLY fun (we're thinking 3), we'll be starting over with a newborn.

So we're considering having #2 soon so that we basically get through the baby stage quicker and then have two kids who are ready for the same activities around the same time. I know if we do this I'll be a crazy woman for awhile (I'm kinda crazy with just one), but I really love the idea of Micah and his sibling being close enough in age to be best friends. So we'll see...

***

A quick update on what's new with Micah at 10.5 months:

finally crawls with stomach off the floor, standing and cruising along furniture
eats about half baby food, half table food
babbles constantly (da-da, ba-ba, na-na, hey)
LOVES books (I couldn't be more proud!), will stop playing to sit and listen to a story
more controlled movements (goes gently from standing to sitting, can place objects with control as opposed to always slinging/throwing them)
understands a lot of what I say
loves opening/closing cabinets
loves drinking from a straw
is a most awesome napper/night time sleeper
goes to Kindermusik playgroup on Tuesdays and will start Mother's Morning Out on Mondays this fall

For Micah's 1st birthday on September 5, we've decided to have a family barbecue. We are looking forward to doing a party with friends when he's older, but we ultimately decided to keep things simple and intimate this year (if you call 7 grandparents, 3 aunts and 2 uncles simple or intimate ;-). I can't believe he's almost 1! We love him so much and are so thankful that God chose him to be our baby!

July 4th Celebrations!

2010-07-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

July 4, 2010

We spent Micah's first July 4th at the river with Grandpa Steve (who kept referring to himself as 'Grammy'...not sure about that ;-) Saturday we had a cookout with the Farrows, Littlefields and Bells. Several of us have celebrated July 4th together in the past, and it was way different this year with little ones running around. We had a good time watching four babies under age 2 play together.

Micah and Dad

Sunday we went to the annual Kilby Island Pig Pickin'. Jamie and I both agreed that it has been better in past years. Micah sure looked cute, though! I hope we'll get to celebrate at the beach next year.

Gettin' down in your pjs!! This picture makes me laugh :-)

Micah, you are such a delight right now at 10 months old! You have mostly overcome your separation anxiety and enjoyed spending one-on-one time with Grandpa. He enjoyed taking you out for golf cart rides to give Mom a little break. You're also pulling up on everything and even cruised along the sofa today. Mimi said you did that at her house last week, but mommies are supposed to see milestones first, so I say you did it first today ;-) You babble constantly and clearly understand a lot more than you can communicate. When you wake up in the morning, I tell you to "put passy night night," and you throw it in the crib. We're still working on 'No' - I think you get it, but you like to test me!

Micah's 1st boat ride. You were sleepy, so this was not a pleasant experience! The second trip was much better!

We've done a few activities lately that are still a little advanced for you (splash park), but I get excited about all that we can do together next summer! I'm already planning your first birthday party (can it be???)! We are doing a Tigger theme because you really seem to like him. I think Mom and Dad are giving you your first Bible. I'm sure the grandparents will provide all the toys ;-)

Sometimes Momma Needs A Break

2010-06-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

Today I had a little "desperate housewife" moment. I couldn't stand to play with blocks anymore or hear another toy that sings (usually several are going off at once). Micah woke up whiny from his afternoon nap and never really recovered. And I haven't really had a break all week. My sweet husband works three jobs so that I can stay home with Micah, so unfortunately he's not able to help me much during the day. I understand and don't ask him to ~~very often~~.

But tonight, around 5pm, I announced that I was taking dinner to a friend and would be back when I got back. I left Micah with Jamie and dinner for both of them. I listened to one of my favorite CDs in the car - Everclear's "Songs From an American Movie Vol 1" - not exactly lyrics I want Micah to pick up. I played it LOUD. I sat and talked to my friend for an hour, then I road past the house in Windsor where I grew up. It looks so tacky and awful now, I'd be embarrassed for anyone to know we once lived there. I enjoyed going down memory lane as I passed homes where I used to babysit or where friends lived.

When I walked back in the door, I heard whaling (pretty much how I left things), but I was refreshed and ready to scoop up my baby and get him ready for bed. Sometimes momma needs a break.

Father's Day

2010-06-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to my dad and to my baby daddy ;-) We spent the weekend at the beach with my parents. We always have a great time, and they are so helpful (my step-dad entertains Jamie and my mom entertains Micah). Jamie and I even went out on a date Saturday night! We don't stay gone long...a couple of hours and we're missing Micah...but we had a great dinner at Ruddy Duck's in Morehead.

Micah has become such a happy baby (compared to those first few months). He loves the water and doesn't mind sitting in wet clothes for long periods of time. Today he pulled up (from sitting to standing) completely by himself. We are so proud! I can also tell that he understands a lot of what we are saying (for instance, he totally knows what "no" means even if he doesn't always obey.) He's also starting to get underwhelmed with baby food. He would much rather feed himself. Tonight I made Jamie's favorite, a chicken and broccoli ring. It's basically ground up chicken, broccoli, cheese, sour cream and a few spices baked inside of a crescent roll "ring." When Micah rejected his baby food, we gave him some of this and he loved it. Our baby is getting so big!

Tomorrow night we're having my dad over for dinner. I'm trying one of Amber's recipes - crock pot lasagna. Yum!

Micah's Dedication

2010-06-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

June 13, 2010

Yesterday we had Micah dedicated at church. He did so well, even though the service was during his nap time. In fact, just seconds before we walked on stage, he fell asleep on my dad's chest. He never does that...it was so sweet and we hated to bother him.

You did very well letting Pastor Branson hold you.

Until very recently, our church practiced infant baptism. Jamie was baptized as an infant, and when he made his own profession of faith as an adult, he was very disappointed that he couldn't have a "believer's baptism." We really wanted Micah to have that option, so we had decided not to baptize him as a baby. We were excited (and a little surprised) when our church began dedicating children instead, and we jumped at the chance to do this for Micah.

You received a letter from Pastor Branson, a certificate and Just In Case You Ever Wonder, a children's book by Max Lucado. The book explains how very much you are loved by us and by God.

My mom, stepdad and dad were present, as were Jamie's mom and sister. Our good friends, Brian and Rebecca Taylor, also came. After church, Jamie and I hosted a lunch at our house. We had sandwiches, chips, fruit (and deviled eggs and cake courtesy of Mimi). It was a really great day, and Micah did so well with all the company and excitement.

Your very special dedication outfit (Mommy could just eat you up in it!)

Show Us your Life - Things that you LOVE/make you HAPPY

2010-06-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

I took this from Kelly's Korner several weeks ago. I do a lot of posts about schedules and doctor's appointments and things that are probably not very interesting to others but that I hope will help me when Micah gets a sibling. I also feel that I sometimes come across as whiny or...worse...ungrateful. In truth, I'm the opposite. There was a time not too long ago when I did not think God's plan for me included many of my "loves" below. He had brought me to a place where I was truly content with His plan - whatever it was - but now that He has blessed me with the desires of my heart, I am so thankful. My son is 9 months old, and almost every night, with the same emotion (it just gets renewed daily), I thank God for his birth.

Ok, so here's what I love...not many surprises here ;-)

My sweet husband, Jamie. This picture was taken the summer we got married (2007). Here are some things that come to mind when I think about him: man of God, wise, faithful, funny, calm, respectful, sensitive, determined, silly, kind...I once heard Angie Harmon tell Oprah about her husband: "I'm honored that God thought enough of me to put me with him."

My favorite picture of Micah, taken with Jamie's blackberry in the hospital. One of the biggest surprises of my life has been how much I have enjoyed being a mom to a son. I recently asked my friend Stephanie, "Do you feel like God gave you the exact child you were meant to have?" She said yes, her son's personality fit perfectly in their family. I feel the same about Micah. I also think he's the cutest kid alive (as I'm sure all parents think about their children). I really can't wait to have another one.

This is a picture of us at Ocracoke, one of the prettiest beaches we have ever seen on one of the prettiest beach days we have ever shared together. All three of us LOVE the beach. I love this quote by Isak Denesen: The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears or the sea. We're fortunate that my parents have a house on Emerald Isle, and we go there all the time.

I'm a homebody. I love to travel, but I especially love coming back home. I take a lot of pride in making our home warm and comfortable. I clean it...a lot...but not nearly as much as I did pre-Micah. 2007 was a busy year for us...we got engaged March 3, bought our home and moved Jamie in by end of May, and got married August 3. We just love our home and our neighbors and couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

***

God has used Covenant Church to bless us in more ways than we can count. Jamie and I met through Covenant's Twentysomething ministry. Shortly thereafter, I was hired to manage Covenant's web site, a job that I loved and worked for 3+ years. Jamie and I were married at Covenant, and when we were expecting Micah, the staff rallied around us in so many ways, including throwing us a baby shower and providing meals after Micah's birth. But we love it for far more than how we have been blessed. We really believe God is present in that church and that the staff truly loves Jesus. We are excited about raising Micah in Children's Ministries, and we believe in the work the church is doing, specifically in missions in West Greenville and the DR.

Vacation and 9-Month Checkup

2010-06-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a wonderful weekend at Myrtle Beach with the Dicken family. We had an ocean-view condo, pools and a lazy river, and NO PLANS! The kids absolutely loved the water! Micah was so cute splashing in the ocean and really enjoyed riding on our laps down the lazy river (I opted for video instead of pictures this time, so I will upload those later). We found some great buys at the outlets (Micah's summer 2011 wardrobe) and ate our weight in food. Usually after a trip we look forward to returning home to our own beds, but this time I was truly sad to leave. We loved traveling with another family and hope to do that more in the future!

Yesterday was Micah's 9-month checkup. He weighs 16 pounds, 10 ounces and measures 30 inches long. He is doing well but is slightly behind in some of his development (gross motor skills). The doctor said his delay is not significant enough to recommend any therapies at this point. In fact, she told us to continue doing exactly what we have been - letting him have lots of playtime on the floor. He also needs to drink more milk. He currently takes 12-16 ounces a day (24 oz. is recommended), and that little bit is a struggle. I have to sing, feed him in a dark room, stop and start several times, etc. just to get him to take that much. We've decided to cut back on his solids and re-introduce the dream feed because he will normally take 6+ ounces then. We are also going to add a little strawberry syrup to his milk to entice him to take more. We are willing to try anything!

Micah also had to get four shots yesterday :-( During his 6-month checkup, we learned about the alternate vaccine schedule and decided to try it. But after I went home and researched it more, I changed my mind. The vaccine most feared is the MMR at 15 months because it contains several live viruses. The thought is that the human body would never be fighting off more than one virus at a time, so this particular shot could be "overload". In the past, parents could opt to have this particular vaccine split up into several shots, but that's no longer an option. So, I decided to follow the traditional vaccine schedule, and he had to get caught up this time. He did very well and is having a good day so far (normally the day after his shots it the worst).

I'm a ball of nerves right now...worrying about my baby and wanting him to be healthy and "perfect" in every way. We got the impression that while he's behind in a few skills, the true "deadline" for achieving these things is his first birthday.

Let Summer Begin!

2010-06-01T10:38:00.001-07:00

Micah with Mimi and Aunt Sarah

We had such at great time with our families at the beach and river over Memorial weekend! We started out at my parent's beach house. Micah LOVED everything about the beach, which is more evident than DNA that he is my child ;-) He is fearless around the water and enjoyed playing in the sand. We tried not to let him eat it, but that was pretty futile. My mom cooked wonderful meals and helped out with Micah so that Jamie and I could spend some time together. Micah thinks my mom is hilarious. I don't know what she does, but every time I walk in on the two of them, he is laughing at her.

Micah eating Mimi's hat
(that's our pink house in the background...jk ;-)

Monday we headed to the river to see some of Jamie's family. Micah seems to be overcoming his separation anxiety. He let several people he'd never met hold him for awhile and even allowed Mommy to walk out of the room! He is such a joy right now...laughing, playing with his toys, scooting around the house. I miss those newborn days, but I'm looking forward to his next milestones.

Here's what Micah is up to at 8.5 months:

scooting (like an army crawl)
standing with legs straight and arms on the floor
sitting very well on his own
babbling
loves to play with toys (many of his play music and he likes to have several going at once...I hope he doesn't develop ADD!)
struggles with distractions during meal time (Mommy is constantly pulling hands, toes, bib, etc. out of his mouth when he's supposed to be eating)
requires singing during bottle feedings...prefers food over milk
wears 12 month clothes

Schedule:
6:30 am - 4 oz. bottle + baby food
9 am - nap
10:30 - 4 oz. bottle + baby food
2 pm - 4 oz. bottle followed by nap #2
3:30 pm - snack (yogurt)
6 pm - baby food
7 pm - 4 oz. bottle and bed

Milk Strike

2010-05-15T16:43:00.000-07:00

My mom thinks I'm the greatest!

We've had a whirlwind of a week with this boy named Micah! He was doing so great on his four hour eating schedule and then BAM, a week ago Friday he stops drinking milk. I'd been slowly introducing formula into his diet since he was six months old. He's a small guy (16 pounds, 5 ounces at 8 months), so I thought the formula might help him gain weight. Well, he'd been on it almost exclusively for about a week when he stopped taking it. I almost lost my mind. We went to the doctor twice, including a trip to the night clinic. I've tried nearly everything short of starving him (he takes baby food just fine) when finally my mom suggested that maybe he no longer likes the taste of soy. He was on soy because it was easier for him to digest, but when I switched to the milk based formula, he started taking it again. He's still not eating like before, but I'm managing to get around 14 ounces a day into him.

So, now I think he's going to need more frequent, smaller meals. He seems to do better if he gets solids and then a couple hours later, milk. He basically said, "screw you" to the lovely little schedule I had him on :-) But I hear that's "normal" for his age...whatever normal is.

Oh, and by the way, I always thought that bottle feeding would be easier than breastfeeding. The only thing easier about it is that I don't feel self conscious doing it in public. Other than that, breastfeeding is soooo much easier - always the right temperature, always readily available, no tools (bottles, liners, etc.) required, no wasting, and I don't fret so much about how much he's getting because I don't know. He just eats until he's full. I truly regret giving it up so soon.

UPDATE: Milk strike finally ended this week. We tried him on Similac, and he LOVES it. Of course, it's the most expensive formula on the market, so he would love it. Here's the schedule that seems to work best now. I'm posting this so that if our second child goes on a milk strike around 8 months, I'll be more prepared. These times are all "ish":

6:30 am - 4 oz. bottle + breakfast
8:30/9 am - nap #1
11 am - 4 oz. bottle + lunch
2 pm - 4 oz. bottle
2:30 pm - nap #2
4:30 pm - snack (yogurt?)
6:30 pm - dinner
7 pm - 4 oz. bottle and bed

8 on 8 (or some variation thereof)

2010-05-10T18:08:00.000-07:00

I found this cute little do-dad on another blog and thought it would be fun to play along. I tag you all!

8 TV Shows I Like to Watch
1. House
2. American Idol
3. The Office
4. 19 Kids and Counting
5. Say Yes to the Dress
6. The Cake Boss
7. Hoarding...Buried Alive
8. What Not to Wear

8 Favorite Places to Eat and Drink

1. California Pizza Kitchen
2. Bonefish
3. Bojangles
4. Chick-fil-A
5. K&W Cafeteria
6. Any Japanese steakhouse
7. Any Mexican restaurant
8. My mom's kitchen

8 Things I Look Forward To

1. Taking Micah to the zoo and Disney
2. Having a second child
3. When my family stops giving me childrearing advice (one can hope...lol)
4. Beach trip in June with the Dickens
5. Micah's next year, and the year after, and the year after...
6. Retiring with Jamie, buying an RV and traveling around the US
7. Rafting down the Colorado River at the Grand Canyon
8. When Micah meets Jesus

6 Things that Happened to me Yesterday (I have a bad memory)
1. Celebrated my first Mother's Day
2. Micah said dadadadadadada (ok, maybe that was today)
3. Ate lunch at California Pizza Kitchen
4. Let Micah sleep in our bed part of the night...in our hotel...he was sick
5. Got my first Mother's Day gift, a ceramic plate from The Accidental Artist with Micah's footprints
6. Cried only once

6 Things I am Passionate about...because I can only think of 6
1. My marriage
2. Being a good mom...also the thing I'm most insecure about
3. Taking care of my home
4. Just saying no to clutter
5. Protecting Micah
6. My faith

7 Words or Phrases I Use Often
1. Mr. Llama! (to Micah)

2. I love you!

3. Mind your own business, please (to my family mostly)
4. He's actually a boy...
5. Gotta go, Micah's crying
6. Hey (also Micah's first word)
7. It's night night time!

3 Things I Have Learned From the Past (there's more, but a certain someone doesn't give me much time to get philosophical)
1. God is the Great Redeemer!
2. Sometimes I just need to relax
3. God is pleased to give me the desires of my heart when my heart is focused on Him

3 Places I Would Like to Visit/See
1. The Grand Canyon
2. Hwy 1 in California (again)
3. Martha's Vineyard

4 Things I Currently Want/Need...
1. A housekeeper
2. A chef
3. Someone to iron my laundry
4. For my child to drink milk again...yes, he's on a milk strike

Hypocrite

2010-04-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm a mother, I've become one. Doing all the things I said I'd never do. This post really got me thinking. Actually, I've been thinking about it since Micah was born, but after reading MckMama's post, I realized that I share some of her reasons. This is really ironic because two of my best friends are teachers, and I have always been very against homeschooling. I figured, and they concurred, that if it takes four years to get a teaching degree and be qualified to teach in public school, then what makes me think I can do it? But now I don't think it's as black and white as that. So Jamie and I are thinking about it...praying about it...not really sure we will but not really sure we won't. Just thought you'd like to know.

April Photoshoot With Grandpa Orr

2010-04-30T07:18:00.001-07:00

Jamie's dad was in town this month and (of course) took some pictures of Micah. Photography for him is more than a hobby but less than a job. He always gets great shots of Micah in his "natural" setting - nothing posed, just playing and hanging out. We're having family pictures done in May with Angela. I can't wait!

His poor toys don't stand a chance!

Kissy face!

His laughter is the sweetest sound we have ever heard!

Happy baby!

Snuggling with Daddy

The Grass Is Not Greener

2010-04-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a little wisdom I gleaned last weekend. I follow a few of my favorite celebs via Twitter (yes, I know...), and sometimes I start wondering if the grass is greener on the other side. They seem to have really cool lives that I sometimes envy. Only my very old friends will know this, but there was a time early in my college career when I was poised to pursue a career in acting. I'd done community theater, some extra work on Dawson's Creek and was already taking classes in ECU's theater program, but I chose instead to transfer to UNC and pursue journalism. I don't necessarily regret that decision, but sometimes I wonder, What if? I obviously wouldn't change where I am today in my personal life, but professionally speaking, I often wonder about the road not taken.

So anyway...I'm following my celeb friends on Twitter, and checking out some of the people who they follow, and one person who I think has a pretty cool job (casting director) is recounting an experience she had on a plane when another couple got engaged. This obviously made her quite jealous, and then it dawned on me. I have what she wants. I have a wonderful husband and the most adorable baby at home. And no matter what kind of job you have, I think the most famous person in the world still wants someone to come home to at the end of the day, a family to love. Then I felt very convicted for my envy and also extremely thankful for the family that I have. God has truly spared me no good gifts, and I'm just sorry I have to be reminded of that from time to time.

7 Months and 2 Weeks

2010-04-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a few weeks behind on Micah's 7-month post, but running late has just become a way of life for me now :-) Six months was a big turning point for us - everything seemed to stabilize - and seven is even better. Here's what Micah's up to:

- Got his first tooth last week.

- Behaves in restaurants (finally) as long as he eats when we do (can't feed him beforehand or he'll cut up).

- Has the cutest personality! He loves to make different sounds and then waits for me to repeat them back to him. Loves being tossed in the air, peek-a-boo, and has several tickle spots.

- Flashes HUGE grins when he swings at the park.

- Will lay perfectly still and just let me kiss all over his face. I know this won't last forever, so I'm enjoying it!

- Separation anxiety is getting better. We've found that as long as Jamie and I stick around for a few minutes while he adjusts to new faces, then he usually warms up quickly.

- Can sit for several seconds unsupported.

- Eats stage 3 baby food...lots of it! Has 5 liquid feedings a day (some formula and some mommy milk). Update: Moved to a 4-hour schedule at 7.5 months. Now eats 4 meals a day, usually 6:30, 10:30, 2:30, solids at 6 and a bottle at 7 (we split up this last feeding so that he'll eat more).

- Wears 9-12 month clothes.

- We love him so much! Gotta run because I miss him!

MckMama's iPad Giveaway

2010-04-09T10:46:00.001-07:00

For those of you who read MckMama's blog (and those who don't, you should check her out!), she's giving away an iPad to one lucky person who donates at least $5 to Compassion International's Child Sponsorship Program. Click here for more. The contest ends tonight!

Not Quite Done...

2010-04-06T09:41:00.001-07:00

But almost! Now all that's left is the sewing...yikes.

Twitter

2010-04-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

So I signed up for Twitter this weekend. I'm not sure why. I've always thought it was for stalkers and narcissists - those who either want to follow someone's every move or those who think they're worthy of followers. I really didn't even get it for the longest time. But every time I turn around, it seems, I'm directed to go to Twitter for this contest, this information, etc. So I checked it out. Let me tell you how cool and yet crazy this thing is. I can follow my favorite celebs (which happen to be the cast of House). I can send them tweets, and they might write back. They write back to other people who tweet things like, "Please say hi to me." So I figure one of them might write back to me if I tweet something like "Why so many reruns this season? I'm so depressed." I'll let you know...

But then I realized something else. Whether we admit it or not, we like to know what certain people are doing. Yes, to a certain degree, I think we're all followers. It would sound cooler to say that I'm so not into that, but I so kinda am...teehee.

In any case, if you're on Twitter, you can follow me at jennwithapen. Don't get too excited though. Today's tweet, if I'd left one, would have been "listening to my baby cry through his naps." Exciting stuff, let me tell you! He got way off his routine this weekend - grandmas have a way of doing that - so now we're (or at least I am) trying to readjust.

Easter Pic

2010-04-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

Micah got a new swing for Easter, and as you can tell, he loved it!

Tick Off Tuesday

2010-03-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

Celebrities who garner media attention by announcing they're gay. The latest is Ricky Martin. I don't know about you, but that came as a huge surprise to me...you know, about as much as when Ellen made her announcement on a Time magazine cover. It just seems so, as Simon Cowell likes to call this year's Idols, self-indulgent. Why do you need to send out a press release announcing your sexual orientation? Like...seriously? Do you know what would be really original? For a celebrity (if they exist) to announce that they've been happily, faithfully married for more than 10 minutes. Now that's worth a cover story.

New Sewing Project!

2010-03-30T05:58:00.000-07:00

I'm sewing again, and I'm so excited! Why did I start back after a year? First, I'm no longer working for Covenant so I may actually have the time. Second, I found something I want to make (more about that later). And third, I had a mini breakdown Sunday, and the conclusion Jamie and I drew was that I need a hobby (read: me time). We got called out of church yet another week because my sweet little boy just loves his mommy! He will only stay with me, Jamie and my mom, which is hard on me at times when I want to do something like worship my Lord in church. Once I was in his classroom, he played in the floor with the rest of the children, smiling at everyone, only stopping to check every few minutes to make sure I was still there. Little stinker! I sure do love him, though!

Ok, so what am I making? Well, lately I've seen kids sporting shirts with fabric appliques. I've seen some with necktie appliques (for boys), some with monogramming and some with numbers to celebrate the child's birthday. I think those are so cute, so I'm going to try making a few for Micah. I have some cute sock monkey fabric (see blog header) and some ECU fabric that I want to use. Now I just need to go buy him a couple of t-shirts and some materials and we'll be set. I'll show pictures when I'm done. Yay!

And kudos to Micah who now eats five times a day, dropped the dreamfeed, and takes a bottle with no problems. And his favorite word is yayayayayayayayayayayayayayayaya....

Tick Off Tuesday...a day early

2010-03-22T07:34:00.001-07:00

Here's my gripe: people who respond to a Craig's List ad, make an appointment to come see your stuff, then never show! This has happened to me twice in one week. One lady called 2.5 hours after her scheduled appointment, when we were already in bed, and asked if she could still come. The other one never came and never called. RUDE! When I complain to Jamie, he says, "You are dealing with the American public. This is how they are." Of course, this never happens to him...all his buyers come when they say they are and pay him his asking price. I don't care if someone doesn't buy my stuff, I don't even care if they change their mind about seeing it, but please respect my time and let me know that you aren't coming. Next time, my ad will say "Those who make an appointment and fail to show will not be given a second appointment." I may not sell my stuff, but honestly, my time is worth a lot more to me than what I stand to make!

Back to Basics

2010-03-09T08:12:00.000-08:00

I laugh all the time about all the things I used to think before I had kids. I was SUCH A GOOD MOTHER back then . ha! I knew SO MUCH about parenting. Can any of you identify? Being a mother has taught me a LOT about not judging others. :-) - Kelly's Korner

Parenthood is so humbling. I read books on sleep training before I even got pregnant, and I just knew my child was going be to one of those "by the book" babies. I can just hear God laughing now...oh, what fun my little boy is, though! I cannot wait for his first spring and summer. Whereas now I look forward to his naps so that I can catch up on stuff, pretty soon I'm going to be waking him early so that we can go outside and play. We outfitted him with lots of summer duds this weekend...life jacket, baby pool and baby float. He is ready!

This post isn't about Micah, though. (I have a hard time not talking about him.) Have you ever been to church and when the pastor starts to share the crucifixion story, you think "heard this before, got it, ready for the next thing" and zone out? That was me. I had the story straight, but occasionally I would hear things like "carrying your cross" or "leaving your burdens at the foot of the cross," and it sounded nice but I didn't know, practically speaking, what that looked like. I got a new understand of that recently, and it reminded me (and humbled me) that even I have to sometimes go back to the basics of my faith.

What I realized is probably very simple and obvious to some of you. It goes like this: When I became a Christian, I didn't stop sinning, I just gained access to a new power (or strength...or weapon) to fight it. So "leaving my burdens at the foot of the cross" simply means that I say, "God, I can't beat this (insert sin here) on my own. I need your help or else I'm going to fall." And God promises to help us. In fact, the Bible says that we have the same power within us that resurrected Jesus!

It's more than that, though. It's not like we just call on the cross when we need it and otherwise we're left alone to live our lives as we wish. If I call on Christ's power, then I'm also calling on him to come into my (very worldly) life and start chipping away at all that is holding me back from bringing attention to His name. And that gets uncomfortable. Just ask MckMama...she's over in Kenya right now blogging on behalf of Compassion International. Her posts during this trip will rock your world.

6 Months Old

2010-03-05T07:52:00.001-08:00

I can't believe my baby is 6 months old! My, how the time doth fly! I've shared this before, but Jamie was a little nervous about starting a family when we did. The other day he said to me about life before Micah, "I didn't realize he'd been missing from our family."

Micah had his 6 month checkup today, and all is well except that he has a slight heart murmur. The doctor said that if it was a serious heart problem, we would have noticed outward signs by now (we haven't). But, we still need to have him checked by a pediatric cardiologist. This is scary for a mommy, but my mom also has a murmur and is just fine, so we are hopeful. Please pray that all is well with Micah. Here is what our little blessing has been up to:

Weight: 14.8 pounds
Height: 28 inches
Meals: Nurses six times a day, and three of those meals include solids
Sleep: Sleeps 10-11 hours at night and takes 2 morning naps + 1 afternoon nap + an occasional early evening power nap
Diapers: Size 2 during the day and 3 at night
Clothes: 9 months

- Loves baby food and is now eating yogurt and some stage 2 things.

- Just learned to spit and loves to do this when he's supposed to be eating.

- Loves for Mom to sing songs with his name in them and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

- Is sensitive like his dad and will cry when people speak loudly around him (not like his dad ;-). Loves smiling at new faces but always wants Mom in his sight.

- Smiles super big for dad.

- Loves to babble. Laughs when Mom claps or does anything silly for him.

- Loves when Dad and Mimi talk to him on the phone.

- Turns easily from back to tummy and will do this while sleeping (causing Mom a little anxiety). Loves to do the "superman."

- Loves his exersaucer, walker, strolling, playing under his baby gym and being held.

- Is learning to use a sippy cup but still won't take Mom's milk in the bottle or cup.

- Is teething (no protruders yet) and wants to put everything in his mouth.

- Loves to go on "horsey rides" on Mom's knee.

- Loves baths. We hope this means he'll love being in the water this summer.

- Does not like the church nursery or any babysitters except for grandparents.

5.5 Month Schedule

2010-02-23T11:01:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted a schedule in awhile, and some say I may want to refer back to this someday. That is, if my husband agrees to have a second child. In all seriousness, we definitely will. As a mom, it's hard to imagine loving another one as much as I love Micah, but I know it's possible. You never hear moms say, "Well, I really love my first born and the other one is just o.k."

Here's Micah's Ideal Schedule at 5.5 months old (that means we follow this about 22% of the time):

6am - nurse + solids
7:30am - nap
9am - nurse
10:30am - nap
12pm - nurse + solids
1:30pm - nap
3pm - nurse + snack (sometimes)
5:30pm - power nap
6pm - nurse + solids
7:30pm - bed
9pm - dream feed

Micah's waking up around twice a night for his passy or just to chat. Sometimes I think about not introducing a passy to the next child, but they sure do come in handy! I also think about letting Micah learn to fall back asleep at night without the passy (this would involve a good deal of crying), but within 1-2 months he'll be able to retrieve it himself. So I may just go with it for now.

Not Me Monday

2010-02-22T12:06:00.000-08:00

I did not have this conversation at Bojangle's last week:

Woman: Ma'am, you dropped something on the floor.
Me: Me? Oh where?
Woman: Right there.
Me: I can't see it. (Looking around, over and under Micah and the table.)
Woman: Under.
Me: (Still looking)
Woman (whispering in my ear): It's a tampon.

I did not tell the eye doctor that my son was home with a baby-sitter so that my appointment wouldn't drag on forever. My son was not actually home with his father. (In my defense, Jamie did not have to get back to work ;-)

Micah is not waking up 2-3 times a night now for his passy or just to chat. Jamie did not tell him at 5am Sunday morning that he would be an only child.

And that's all for today because Mr. Micah did not just wake up from his nap :-)

Flesh-y

2010-02-21T08:10:00.000-08:00

I had heard that motherhood is a very selfless job, but I don't think I could fully comprehend how much until Micah was born. He and I are together nearly all the time, and while I love being his mom, there are moments when I want it to be about me. Yesterday was one of those. I really just wanted to have a peaceful shopping day. Our family of three plus my mom drove to Smithfield to hit up a sale at the Carter's store. Micah has more than enough summer clothes already, but that's beside the point ;-) He also has a knack for acting up the minute I walk into a store to shop for him. In fact, the ladies at the Gymboree store in Greenville laugh about it. So anyway, Micah did great on the car ride, but as soon as we walked into Carter's, he started to whine. And I had a mini tantrum inside my head as I thought, "Why now? Why can't I just shop once in peace? Why do I always feel rushed? Is your life that bad? Is eating, sleeping and being pushed around in the stroller your idea of a rough day? Grrrrrrr."

And then later I felt bad (convicted) for having those thoughts. Afterall, he's a baby on a schedule. He doesn't like disruptions, and he doesn't nap the greatest out of his crib. I can't fault him for not playing along with mom's plan. I've actually been studying "fleshness" - the need to be in control and have everything be about me - in my weekly Bible study, Freedom for Mothers. At times I ask, "God, is this stuff really sinking in?" But then I realize it is as He gently holds up pieces of my life for me to see that are very flesh-y.

***

On a side note, we discovered something absolutely delightful yesterday at Cracker Barrel. When we pulled up for lunch, my heart sank when I saw all the people hanging out the door. We were all hungry, and I could tell this would not be good with a baby in tow. Anyway, we go to put our name on the waiting list, and when the host saw the stroller, he ushered us to our seats straight away. No wait! Turns out, Cracker Barrel does not make babies wait. Love. It.

Fotogenic Friday!

2010-02-19T08:49:00.000-08:00

I know all parents think this about their children,
and I know I'm biased,
but I really think he's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Freedom

2010-02-17T14:48:00.001-08:00

I'm doing a Bible study right now called Freedom for Mothers (actually, Micah and I are doing it together because he hasn't taken to the church nursery yet. Today he set a new record. They paged me to come get him before the class even started :-) Anyway, I experienced another kind of freedom today because I resigned from my job at Covenant. Don't get my wrong, everything about this job has been a blessing from the moment I was hired 3ish years ago. I've developed wonderful friendships and got to realize a dream of mine, which was to work at a church that had such a profound impact on my faith journey and my personal life (I met Jamie there). They even allowed me to work from home after Micah was born.

But during the last several months, Jamie's computer consulting business has really taken off, and he's been spending a lot of evenings and weekends working on administrative stuff. He was contemplating hiring someone to help him a few hours a week, but after considering this, we both decided he should just "hire" me. So, that's why I'm resigning from Covenant, to become an "associate" of Orr & Associates. This is freeing for me because I really want to do a good job, and I know that I haven't been at the top of my game with the Covenant website since I had Micah. And, by helping Jamie, he will be freed to spend more time with us and Micah will get more of my attention during the day. It's really a win-win for our family, and we're so grateful to God for how He's blessed us with work.

Wordless Wednesday (a day early because I'll forget tomorrow)

2010-02-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

5-Minute Face!

2010-02-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

My life was revolutionized recently while watching "What Not to Wear" as I rocked my son to sleep. I learn a lot from that show about how to assemble outfits, what looks good on certain figures (and what doesn't...I have a lot of those pieces) and also makeup. During this particular episode, makeup artist Carmindy was dealing with a no frills gal like myself. So, she told her about the 5-minute face. Wow! Usually I only have about 4 minutes to do my face before a certain somebody wakes up early from his nap (and no kidding, just as I typed that my monitor lights lit up), but still...Carmindy's all about helping women accentuate their natural beauty. If you use her tips to apply makeup, you should still look like your "regular" self...just better. Makeup is something I try to do most days, even if it means the dishes stay piled in the sink. I just feel better about myself the rest of the day, and if I have the opportunity to leave the house, then I'm more apt to do it if I have my face on :-)

So yeah, the 5-minute face. I think she wrote a book about it so maybe I could get in trouble for copying her secrets here. But basically here's what you need: foundation, one eye shadow that highlights your eye lid and brow line best, mascara, liner (except I'm afraid of it and don't use it), blush and lip gloss. You can figure out the rest ;-) Love me the Carmindy.

5-Month Update

2010-02-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

Busy week for us. So busy, in fact, that I have to use bullets (not the kind in guns) to cover everything. This week:

We started Kindermusik. Micah really seemed to like it. Part of me is like, "I could totally do this at home...for free!" But I probably wouldn't, and we both enjoyed meeting other moms and babies.

I started the Motherwise: Freedom for Mothers Bible study and Micah lasted a whole hour in the nursery! After that, he hung out with me and the other moms and visited with his friend and neighbor, baby Joshua.

Micah had has 5-month weight check on Tuesday. He gained almost a pound since last month and now weighs 13.8 pounds. Doctor says he's doing fine.

Micah dropped his 9pm "dream feed" and is now eating 5 liquid meals a day. Three of those include solids. He has not rejected a single food yet...so unlike his mother ;-) Right now I buy his food, but my neighbor gave me a great book on how to make it myself, so I might try that.

Not to be cryptic, but some job changes are in the works for me. I will share more once the affected parties are notified :-)

We planned our first summer vacation. My in-laws own a time share that they graciously share with us. Since I'm not a fan of flying right now, we opted for the Myrtle Beach location in June. We are planning to go with some good friends and their little boy. I cannot wait to introduce Micah to the beach!

Baby's First Snow

2010-02-01T07:20:00.001-08:00

I was sitting here this morning feeling bummed because our snow pictures did not turn out. Then it occurred to me - the snow is still here!

Mommy's favorite!

Not too sure...

Hi Mommy!

Not Me Monday

2010-02-01T04:14:00.001-08:00

My husband did not make macaroni and cheese and forget the cheese. I did not call him on this, and he did not respond with, "It's white cheddar cheese so you just can't see it."

We did not leave Micah playing under his baby gym while we made dinner. He did not roll off the gym mat and under the coffee table. We did not leave him there so we could take a picture.

I do not pick my son's nose.

While at work recently, Jamie did not find one of my nursing pads stuck to his shirt.

I did not look at my outfit twice this week and think, "Clinton and Stacy would kill me." Clinton and Stacy are not the stars of TLC's "What Not to Wear."

Micah is not wearing 9 month clothes. He does not start Kindermusik tomorrow. He is not growing up too fast.

I did not set my DVR two weeks in advance to record "19 Kids and Counting: A Duggar Special Delivery." I do not love this show. I have not seen every episode.

Mommyitis

2010-01-29T16:55:00.001-08:00

Just a little update from us...all I seem to tell you about lately is what we're NOT doing ;-) I've gotten to spend a lot of time with friends lately, which has been so wonderful! I kind of fell off the map after I became a mommy, but now I'm starting to live back into some of the other roles that define me, including "friend." I had lunch last Sunday with three of my best girlfriends. We have five little boys between us...not a girl in sight! We wouldn't have it any other way, though!

Micah is such a joy right now! He's porking up on solids and rolling all over the place. He has not figured out how to roll from front to back yet, so he is constantly getting stuck and wanting to be rescued. He's very interested in what's happening around him. Jamie can't even talk to me while I'm nursing anymore because Micah will try to get into the conversation. He loves to stroll outside, and he loves to be carried around in the Baby Bjorn. I never thought I'd be into baby wearing, but it's a great way to keep him happy and close and also get things done around the house.

Micah is nursing six times a day, and three of those meals include solids. One of those is an attempted bottle. He will take anywhere from 1-3 ounces from the bottle. I know this isn't enough for a single feeding, so I did some online research and found that he's "reverse cycling." This means he's eating just enough to get by and then waiting for the next nursing to make up for it. Smart baby. We are sticking with it, though. I've also introduced a sippy cup, but right now we're just letting him play with it to figure out how it works.

Micah has come down with a case of Mommyitis. He makes it known that Mommy is his favorite, no matter whose feelings it hurts ;-) He hasn't done too well in the church nursery the last several weeks. We will keep at it though. This consistency thing is so hard. It really would be easier in the short run to just do what makes him happy. But I have an end goal in mind...

Not Me Monday

2010-01-25T10:43:00.001-08:00

I did not have a two hour lunch with my girlfriends yesterday. I was not looking forward to this for weeks, and it was not the most I've gotten out without my baby since he was born.

I do not threaten several times a day to quit my job. Micah always naps when I want him to, so I have plenty of time to keep up the house, care for him and work.

My husband does not go around the house singing "Pants on the Ground." I do not think this is hysterical.

I do not check on Micah multiple times a night. I do not put my finger under his nose to make sure he is breathing. I do not sometimes wish we co-slept.

I do not have a sink full of assorted bottles rejected by my son. He does not demand the boob and will take milk however it is served. I do not fear that this will never, ever change.

I am not super excited that Dr. Cameron is returning to House at the end of the season. I did not learn this information from a House spoiler site. I do not have the time to read such things.

When Micah cries, he is not calmed when Jamie pretends to use him as a periscope. I do not quit whatever I'm doing to come witness this each and every time.

Not Me Monday

2010-01-18T11:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. I dig this gal. Granted, she's into "Not Me...Ever!" things like co-sleeping and breastfeeding for 5,976 years - but she's also into Jesus, and I like reading the daily musings of her family of six.

I do not sometimes put my baby down for naps simply because I need a break. I know how important sleep is to a growing infant, so I only put him down for naps when I know he really needs them.

I did not get jealous recently when friends were talking about going on a week long vacation sans children. After all, I can "vacate" for up to two hours at a time, and that's pretty awesome.

I did not zone out when my husband was talking about an upcoming race and then say "yes" after he asked me a question. I know exactly what he asked and what I said "yes" to.

I did not pretend to not hear my baby chatting on the monitor this morning. I did not hope that my husband would get him this time.

I did not go to the gym recently and then stop by Burger King for a cheeseburger on the way home.

I did not start talking to my husband about a second child. We agreed to wait three years, and I'm fully committed to that and would never change my mind. He also did not look at me and say, "You're crazy." Or something like that.

Do You Know Where Your Children Are?

2010-01-16T12:44:00.000-08:00

Somebody alert Sarah Palin! There's a rogue child hanging out near our house, and it's really kinda creepy. The town of Winterville is in the process of expanding the park behind our neighborhood, and one of the additions is a walking trail. I'm super excited about this - Micah and I have already been strolling there twice this week. Well, today the whole family went, and we were followed by this rogue child carrying two pieces of rebar and a pellet gun. Every now and then, he would start shooting that gun. I was about to freak out! Jamie had just asked me, "Do you feel safe walking on this trail alone?" And I had said, "Oh, yes, very safe." We tried to lose this child, but to no avail. He stayed right with us for two loops around the trail. My eye was on that pellet gun the whole time. If he so much as waved it in Micah's direction, I was taking him down. Craziness. When we started to head back home, the child actually looked disappointed. This is the point where I want to launch into my "people need to control their children" lecture, but I'll refrain.

So I learned a valuable lesson last night: If I drink caffeine at dinner, the whole family will be awake most of the night. Now that Micah's stomach has recovered from last week, he has been sleeping 11+ hours at night. That is, until last night when he decided that 3am would be a good time to start his day. Jamie and I took turns trying to re-settle him to no avail. I knew it was my fault, so I felt bad...but not so bad that I didn't ask Jamie to take the 5:30-7am shift so that I could get a little sleep. We're all walking around like zombies today.

Maybe This Week Will Be Better Than The Last...

2010-01-12T10:27:00.000-08:00

Last week was an emotional roller coaster for me. It started with Micah's 4 month doctor's appointment. We became overly concerned about his weight and decided to supplement with some formula, and the iron in the formula completed wrecked his stomach. He didn't want to eat much of anything for several days, and I was about to lose my mind. Nothing to me is more stressful than when my baby refuses to eat...Then, we found out that a friend of the family had delivered a stillborn baby at full term. We had jokingly referred to baby Caroline as Micah's girlfriend. Her family was so excited about her birth - they had even kept up their Christmas tree until her arrival because Santa had left her some presents. I was in a funk for days over that. They still need prayer as they try to rebuild their lives, so please remember the Bucks.

This week has started much better! Micah is on the mend, I celebrated by 30th birthday yesterday, and today I'm using some of my Christmas money to pay for help with housework :-) As I get older, the "gift" I really want is more quality time with my husband and son. Quality = not worrying about all the things still left on my to-do list. So, paying a friend to come clean my house is more exciting to me than a fancy piece of jewelry. Everyone asks how 30 feels. As Micah wipes his nose across my face while I type this, I feel very, very blessed. I have the family I always wanted, but I am a lot more aware of the fact that time is passing. Of course I always knew that, but something about 30 has reminded me that I'm not going to live forever.

So, in honor of not living forever, I did come up with a New Year's goal (yes, only one) that I hope will give my life more "eternal impact." This was a challenge set forth by our pastor last weekend.

I want to invest more in my relationships, specifically with my girlfriends.

Since Micah's birth, I've been really lax about that. I have some awesome women in my life, and I want those relationships to grow deeper and more authentic in 2010. I know this requires one main thing - TIME - so part of my goal is making the time to invest in these relationships.

4 Month Checkup

2010-01-04T18:19:00.001-08:00

Micah is going to stop smiling at pretty girls in the pediatrician's office. They turn around 5 minutes later and give him a shot! Micah had his 4 month checkup yesterday. Developmentally, he's doing great, hitting all his milestones. His height is something like a 7-month old, 27.75 inches and in the 99th percentile. His weight, on the other hand, is of some concern to us. He hasn't hit 13 pounds yet and is only in the 13th percentile. The doctor did not seem concerned, but she did ask that we come back in a month for another weight check. The funny thing is this baby is about to eat us out of house and home! We're back to six liquid feedings a day (had gone to five but quickly realized he needed more) plus three solid feedings. He can easily put away two servings of baby food at dinner and a little less at breakfast and lunch. And he sleeps all night. I'm stumped! I really want to keep nursing, so I hope he'll gain enough weight that we don't have to offer formula supplements.

UPDATE: After spending much of the day in tears over the thought that I've been starving my child, we have decided to add some formula into Micah's diet. The pediatrician did not think it was necessary yet, but Jamie and I were very concerned about the difference between Micah's height and weight. It didn't seem normal to us for a child to grow 3+ inches in two months but only gain two pounds.

We've also decided to change pediatricians. This is something I've been thinking about for several months, but I wanted to give our current practice a fair chance. We've now seen all the doctors there and continue to be underwhelmed, so we are switching to another office in town much closer to our home. I'm very relieved on all fronts. I had planned to nurse Micah for a year, but obviously he's not getting the fat content that he needs, and so we need to do what will keep him healthy. Living and learning...

Best Year Ever

2010-01-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day, 2009

"2009 was the most awesome year ever, and I hope we don't repeat it in 2010!" - Jamie

That's my husband's way of saying that he is perfectly happy right now with our ONE child ;-) I've already forgotten some of the details of those early days home with Micah, and that makes me panic a little. He recently figured out that he can splash in the bathtub. This week he started chuckling. I want to freeze these moments. 2009 was the best year of my life.

I've looked forward to being a wife and mom my whole life, so this year I can say that all my dreams came true. I always pictured myself with a daughter, but I praise God daily for the privilege of raising this precious little boy. I wouldn't take any little girl in the world for him!

Not that motherhood is easy. At least once a week, I come to the end of myself and have to rely on God's grace and strength to get me through. Last night, Micah cried out five times for his passy, and today he didn't feel like napping. He screamed most of Christmas Eve, but three nights later he was a perfect angel for Jamie's family. I desperately want to figure this child out, but I also know he's not a math problem that always comes out the same. Every day is different, and it rocks my world in so many wonderful, exhausting, thrilling, delightful, frustrating, loving ways.

Praying for another year with my family and watching our little boy grow up!

Solids!

2009-12-28T11:10:00.000-08:00

The days of sweet smelling diapers are over, as Micah is now eating solids! We had gotten very comfortable giving Micah six liquid feedings a day and sleeping around nine hours at night. But after weeks of waking him up at 9pm for that last feeding, I was beginning to think he could skip it. As many parents will attest, the late evening feeding is a hard one to drop once the baby is sleeping through the night. No one wants a surprise wake-up call at 3am. I finally decided I would drop the 9pm feeding and would offer some rice cereal during the day to fill him up more. I felt a little guilty for doing this, as I am a rule follower and "the books" all say to wait until 4 months to start solids. But I figured 15 weeks was close enough. And my mom always says, "Micah is a person, not a book." He didn't seem to like it at first, so we stopped and continued with our old routine (six feedings).

Well, over the holidays my mom was baby-sitting, and she offered Micah some rice cereal mixed with applesauce. He loved it! I started offering it to him myself, and now he's about to eat us out of house and home! He's been eating 2-3 solid meals a day for the last week (in addition to five liquid feedings) and is now sleeping 10-11 hours at night. Today we introduced pears, and he seems to love those, too.

In a weird way, we're sad that he goes to bed so early now. When Jamie goes back to ECU in a couple of weeks, he won't see Micah much at all on his teaching days. On the other hand, I do enjoy settling in for a warm bath in the evenings and having some time just to spend with Jamie. Our baby is growing up so fast!

Unto Us A Child Was Born

2009-12-25T17:44:00.000-08:00

I've noticed something lately that kinda blows my mind. It seems that moms I know who have 2+ children seem to get a lot more done than I do with my one. These other moms I know are throwing holiday parties, making home baked goodies for neighbors, doing really cool activities with their children, etc. Reality is a lot different in the Orr household. I really want to do these things, and I tend to beat myself up when I can't. I'm so scatter brained right now that Jamie had to remind me what I was bringing for Christmas lunch...and it was only one thing! I hardly remembered gifts for all my family this year, let alone friends that we usually exchange with. I feel like I'm just getting by - trying to do it all and coming up miserably short - and this Christmas was no exception.

Christmas is normally a three day affair in our home because Jamie and I have four sets of parents between us. We were really excited about Micah's first Christmas, but I knew that his schedule - which we normally love and live by - might backfire against us during this busy time. We spend Christmas Eve at my dad's house, and as usual, Micah was ready for bed around 7:30. I couldn't calm him down from all the excitement of the evening, and then he wanted nothing to do with his travel crib. And when he cries (which he did, rather loudly, for a rather long time), half the crowd wants me to stick a boob in his mouth, and nearly everyone wants a turn at trying to calm him. Needless to say, Micah got a lot of feedings the last couple of days (some of them were simply to shush everybody up), and I feel exhausted both physically and emotionally. In some ways, this was the best Christmas ever because Micah's here, but in other ways I feel like I missed it. While trying to be the perfect mom raising the perfect baby, I missed the part about it being Somebody's Birthday. I was too busy trying to...well, I don't really know what.

Tonight, Jamie and I were talking about how I set unrealistic expectations for my family, and that only leads to failure. But I do want to achieve that perfect balance in my life, which I perceive is true of so many of my friends. And it's driving me crazy. Maybe this is God's way of humbling me. Me, Mrs. super organized, babysitter to many, reader of parenting books, lover of children, is really just a novice afterall.

Finally!

2009-12-09T05:59:00.001-08:00

"Baby Llama, what a tizzy! Sometime's Mama's very busy. Please stop all this llama drama and be patient for your mama." - Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney

This is my fourth effort at writing a post lately. It seems like every time I sit down to do it, we have some "llama drama." Micah is three months old now. I can't believe how quickly time flies. A few updates on him...we don't have a 3-month doctor's appointment, but I would guess he weighs around 12 pounds. He's in 3-6 month clothes, sleeps 9-10 hours straight at night, and eats about every three hours during the day. We still use a lot of props for naps - rocking, swinging, bouncy seat - that are totally my fault. He goes down so well at night, though, that I tend to excuse/tolerate the other stuff.

Micah is so much fun lately! He smiles and squeals, loves to practice rolling over and likes when I grab his hands and help him go from laying to sitting. Gifts are such an afterthought to me this Christmas, as I really treasure the "gift" of my son and spending time with the family. My dad and step-mom are taking everyone to Disney World for Christmas, a trip that Jamie and I had to pass up due to Micah's arrival. But we have an IOU for a trip when he's older, and we can't wait!

Now that I have a child, I've found myself becoming much more mindful about the TV I watch, the music I listen to in the car, etc. There are so many influences that we can control, and I want to make sure Micah's being exposed to the right stuff. I love watching 18 Kids and Counting, and although we don't share all of their convictions (I don't really like skirts), I think they do a great job of championing family values. Popular culture now dubs certain things "family friendly" that clearly are not. Take Carrie Underwood's "family-friendly" holiday special on TV this week. After her first number, Jamie said, "Is she wearing pants or did they just paint her legs black?" Anyway...

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas! God is good, and we look forward to celebrating the birth of His son!

Still Cute!

2009-11-08T11:48:00.000-08:00

I feel like I won the lottery with this babe. Not that we don't have our moments. Naps have, unfortunately, been on his terms lately, which makes getting work done (or laundry, or housekeeping, etc.) difficult. Right now he's asleep in the swing...not a habit I wanted to start, but sometimes I just gotta get stuff done! He's just so precious and we're already talking about a second one. My friend Melissa told me shortly after Micah's birth that I would be surprised at how soon I would start to want more children. I didn't believe her, even though she'd had a delivery experience similar to mine. But right she was. It'll probably be a couple years still, but at least I'm game now.

Micah's doing really well at 9 weeks. He loves when people talk to him, especially my mom. She has a really animated voice, and when she talks Micah's eyes get so bright and he grins. He also loves noise. He sleeps and behaves best when surrounded by chaos. He definitely has his preferences...for instance, he prefers "fountain" drinks over bottles. And he likes lots of attention. Lots.

Micah had his first set of shots last week. I felt like such a deceitful mom. He was in such a good mood that day...smiling and cooing at Dr. Erwin...totally unaware of what was coming. When the first shot went in, he did one of those silent cries, silent because you can't catch your breath. Broke my heart! I have to keep reminding myself that catching any one of the illnesses that we're trying to protect him against would be worse than one bad day.

2 month stats:
10 pounds, 13 ounces
24 inches
Eating every 2.5-3.5 hours between 6:30am and 10pm
Still cute!

I Can Breathe Again

2009-10-26T06:11:00.001-07:00

So serious!

Seven weeks have gone by so fast! I finally feel like my head is above water.

Our sweet little Micah has had some struggles over the last few weeks. He was screaming through some of his feedings, among other things, so I took him to the doctor after he went almost an entire day crying and not sleeping. Dr. Phillips diagnosed reflux, and the medicine we got finally started working after a week.

We've also had some sleep struggles. They probably won't seem like struggles to most parents of newborns, but since Micah usually doesn't wake up more than once a night, we started worrying when he was getting up more often. Naps were also hit or miss. I started to wonder if BabyWise was really working. But now that we're in our 8th week, I can really see it paying off. Micah started sleeping through the night again this weekend - last night he went from 9:30pm-5:30am then went back to sleep until 7:30am. Now it's 9am and he's napping. I'm wondering whose child this is and what they did with Micah. Of course, tomorrow can (and probably will) be totally different. I also can't underestimate the power of the swaddle wrap for calming Micah and helping him fall asleep. My friend, Melissa, introduced us to this, and it's my new favorite gift to give at baby showers. Love. It.

I'm sad that my little baby is getting so big, but as he gets older, we're also enjoying him more. He smiles now and seems a little more interested in his toys. Last week he moved from his bassinet into his "big boy" crib. We're also getting really excited about sharing the holidays with him. I even broke down and paid (almost) full price for a Christmas outfit at Gymboree. Next weekend Jamie's dad (a photographer) will be in town, so look forward to some new pictures of Micah!

A Week of Fabulous Firsts

2009-10-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

Micah's first beach trip - October 3, 2009

So guess what Micah did Thursday and Friday night? He slept through the night, yes he did! We are so thrilled! Granted, he eats like he's storing up for the winter during the early evening, but it's so worth it to get a 6-7 hour block of sleep. I don't know how much of it is him (remember, I prayed for a good sleeper) or how much of it is training. We feed him every 2.5-3 hours during the day, even if we have to wake him, and we make sure he has a wake time after feedings before going down for a nap. These are the basic principles of Baby Wise, and although I don't really understand how, they really do help with nighttime sleep!

Another first this week...we introduced a bottle. Micah has had three bottles now and does great. Of course, he'd prefer his beverage from the fountain versus the bottle (who wouldn't?), but we now have a lot more freedom in our schedule. For instance, last night we were able to go out to dinner with my parents, and I didn't have to plan around Micah's feeding time since I was able to take a bottle (I'm not really studdin' breast feeding in a restaurant).

We're still dealing with some evening fussiness. We've decided that we have a pretty ~~cute~~ demanding baby. He's not one to just sit in the swing for 30 minutes so I can fold a load of laundry. He likes to be entertained, and in the evening we have to work extra hard at this as he also has gas. Mylicon drops (medicine for babies with gas) are like putting a band-aid on an arm that's hanging off, but we know this is just a stage :-)

My 1 month stats:
9 pounds, 4 ounces
22 inches long
very cute!

A Few Confessions...

2009-10-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

1 month old!

In honor of Micah's 1-month birthday.

- I occasionally plan my baby's feeding schedule around my favorite shows. That way I'm guaranteed to see the first 30 mins. uninterrupted.
- Sometimes we sing lullabies, and sometimes we sing other things. On Sunday night, Micah got several verses from Baby Got Back.
- I've been known to tell people that we have a very good baby. He's then been known to scream all day.
- I love being a mom, but sometimes I miss my independence and my "free" time.
- I insisted I would never put my baby in bed with us, but at 6 a.m., I'll do anything for one more hour of sleep.
- This morning Micah peed on the changing table, creating a stream that went over his head and sprinkled all about his face and mouth. Not exactly the breakfast we had in mind for him.
- I LOVE having a baby boy.
- At this point, I feel our family is complete and don't know for sure that we'll have more children. I also haven't forgotten my labor experience yet. I had a dream ~~nightmare~~ this weekend that the doctors told me they were going to put Micah back inside of me and make me deliver without medicine.

***
IMAGE COMING

Me holding Kendall, circa 1996.
She (and her siblings) were my favorite kids to babysit.

Kendall holding baby Micah, 10/4/09

Half A Second...

2009-09-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

...that's about how long I have to write this post.

I thought when I became a SAHM (stay at home mom) that I would be able to take care of Micah and get tons of things done around the house, including updating this blog weekly. I was wrong. I'm so busy that I don't know how I'll be able to work the 8 hours/week I've promised Covenant starting in two weeks! I do have to brag on Micah, though. He is such a good baby! He is struggling lately with gas, but other than that he's pretty content. Whenever we go out, people tell me how small he is, but all I can see is how much he has grown since his birth. We're guessing he's between 8 and 9 pounds now.

Here are a few Micah facts...

He has responded very well to the principles in Baby Wise and Happiest Baby on the Block. Most nights he goes to bed at 10:30, wakes up to eat at 3:30 and wakes up for the day around 6:30. I prayed specifically for a good sleeper, so praise God!

He LOVES to be swaddled.

Some of his favorite activities include watching his mobile, being held, and of course eating, sleeping and pooping.

So far (knock on wood) he has been really good when we've taken him out places (except for one tantrum in Target). He loves noise and he loves movement - shopping cart, stroller, car, etc.

And here are a few things Jamie and I have been up to...

I recently started a new Bible study at church called MotherWise...Micah goes with me, and I'm really enjoying it so far. Just wish I could find the time to do all the homework...

Jamie and I have gone out on several dates so far...once to breakfast and several times to have lunch and run errands. I just got a cute new "dress up" outfit, so hopefully we can have a dinner date soon.

Last week we started back with our couple's group on Thursday nights. This semester we're doing a John Ortberg study on spiritual disciplines. We really enjoy hanging out with the other couples...I missed them so much when we were on our summer/baby hiatus.

***

We were so blessed to receive meals from friends the first three weeks of Micah's life. Now that the food has stopped coming, Jamie and I are considering sending out another sign-up sheet ;-) Seriously, we so appreciated not having to cook these last few weeks.

Micah's First Week

2009-09-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

9/11/09 - Micah emailed this picture to his Mimi at work.
It made her cry.

I can't believe my baby is a week old. Ahhhhhh! I wish time would stand still now that he's here. We have been enjoying him so much this week. God not only gave us a beautiful baby but also one whose personality and disposition fits really well with Jamie and me. Micah is content most of the time, and when he's not, it's pretty easy to figure out why. He eats and sleeps well - often in 4 hour stretches at night.

We couldn't have planned Micah's birthday more perfectly, as Jamie was off all week. We have gotten some great family time this week, and thanks to many of our friends, we haven't had to worry about meals. We are all sad that Jamie has to return to work Monday. He is so crazy about that baby! He was really scared leading up to the birth since he had no experience with newborns, but now he holds Micah and changes him with no problems. One day early this week, he peered into Micah's crib and then came and told me, "He's just so precious." I just loved that!

Here are a few stats on Micah's first week:

Eating: He doesn't eat, he dines, normally taking 45 minutes to complete a feeding. My mom calls him "Frenchy" because he takes all day to eat his meals.

Sleeping: He loves being wrapped up in his swaddle blanket. I call him Burrito Baby.

Nicknames: MVP (Daddy bought him an outfit with this logo, so now that's what he calls him) and Squeaky (Mommy calls him this because of how he cries)

Favorite Activities: Nursing, going for walks in the stroller, having Mommy hold me and talk to me, occasionally the bouncy seat and swing

We couldn't have hand picked a more perfect baby for our family.

The Story of Micah

2009-09-06T06:11:00.001-07:00

Micah James Orr

We have a baby!!! Teeny little Micah James arrived on Saturday, September 5, at 10:56pm. He weighed 7 pounds and measured 20 inches. He is so darn cute, but then again I guess we are biased. Micah's birth was not quick or easy, but he's healthy, beautiful and we're so in love!

In a twist most ironical, I was told at my doctor's appointment Friday that I was not dilated at all and would probably go a week or more overdue. I was so upset. I went home that afternoon and cried several times, but Jamie was so sweet and suggested several fun things for us to do over the weekend to get my spirits up. Then at 12:45am Saturday morning, I woke to discover my water had broken! We headed to the hospital around 9am and were very pleased to get the labor room and the midwife that we wanted.

Since my water had broken and I was more susceptible to infection, I had to take Pitocin to regulate my contractions. That is the worst drug over, and I had a hellish time with it. I was given some IV pain medicine, but it didn't last long. By afternoon, I had only dilated 1cm and was in terrible pain. I had decided that I would get an epidural, but the nurse and midwife were encouraging me to wait until I was further along. Finally I did get it (took two tries before it worked) and it was the best thing ever! I really started to progress and was ready to push by 9pm.

I pushed well, but by that point several things were working against me: almost 24 hours with no food or sleep, and Micah just didn't want to slide under my pelvic bone. I pushed a solid hour when the midwife suggested we get Dr. Avery to come in and try to turn Micah. He did that, but I still had a lot of work to do. For my mental and my physical health, I needed him out soon. I said as much, and Dr. Avery said, "Well, I can use the vacuum and he'll be born in two pushes." It was a very unpleasant 2ish pushes, but he came out at 10:56pm.

I will say that labor tested my physical and mental capacities beyond anything I've ever experienced before. He was so worth it, though. We just can't get enough of him! Jamie and I left half of our camera equipment at home, but as soon as we get it, we'll upload lots of pictures.

The Present Is Still Wrapped

2009-09-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

As I'm sitting on my sofa today trying to will this baby to come out, it occurred to me how all my dreams are coming true. I know that sounds sappy and I'm usually not, but God has really been so gracious to me, not holding back any good gifts. Often I wonder, "Well why?" But then I remember that Christianity has nothing to do with what I deserve (thankfully!). I'm even excited about labor because meeting my child is one of those days I've looked forward to since I was a little girl "mothering" my dolls.

Today I cleaned the whole house. I even moved stuff so that I could vacuum in areas that hadn't been touched in weeks. Jamie said, "Mmmm, Micah's coming." Apparently he's heard about nesting. People are starting to throw out their "labor" day predictions, and unfortunately, most of them are after Labor Day. These predictions were promptly rejected.

I have to give a shout-out to my mom. She makes dinner for us several times a week, calls me everyday to see how I'm doing, and had her hospital bag packed before I finished packing my own. She is so excited about Micah and has been such a great support to us. She told me the other day, "It's like Christmas, and you're bringing everybody a present." Hoping that the next post I write will include a picture of said present.

Sitting On "Go"

2009-08-31T06:40:00.000-07:00

We were surprised by a really great weekend! Jamie had a race to score Sunday in Raleigh that had been causing us a lot of stress. Micah's imminent arrival was never far from our minds, but with the midwife's blessing, I decided to travel with Jamie. I knew that if I just sat home waiting for the baby to come, I would go crazy.

We got to Cameron Village Saturday morning to help with pre-registration for a couple of hours. We set up in a shady spot, so I was actually able to help without getting tired or over-heated. We had a great lunch in a nearby deli and then spent the afternoon at Crabtree Valley Mall. I felt great...had a lot of energy...and even bought some fall clothes to wear post-baby. Deciding what size to purchase is such a guess at this point, but I felt good just buying something that wasn't maternity.

After shopping, we had dinner at our favorite restaurant, Bonefish Grill. Sunday morning I got up at 6am to eat breakfast with Jamie, then sent him on his way while I went back to bed. We got home Sunday afternoon, did a few things around the house, then had dinner with Jamie's mom at Outback. Of course, I proceeded to overeat, then thought I was in labor (really just gas pains). I refuse to learn even though the same thing happens nearly every night.

Speaking of night, I get up probably 8 times to use the bathroom. I told Jamie this morning that getting up every three hours to feed the baby will be a breeze compared to this. But several of my mommy friends on facebook told me otherwise :-( In any case, now that the weekend is over, we are so ready for Micah to come! I'm 39 weeks today, so it could be anytime. Micah moves and kicks so much now. I keep telling him, "Dude, there's so much more room out here!"

Hello, Fall!

2009-08-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Me: I'm ready to get my old physical self back.
Jamie: I'm ready for you to get your other self back.
Me: What self is that?
Jamie: Your non-irritable self.

Welcome to week 38. If I could use only one word to describe this pregnancy, it would be normal. That's what I hear every time I go see the doctor: "Everything's normal...baby's a normal size...baby should be born right around his due date...he'll weigh a very normal, average weight...heartbeat is normal." We're so thankful for that! And yet, now that I'm just days from the end, I wouldn't mind if he did something just a little bit abnormal and came early. Some of our friends said to us the other day, "You're both very punctual people, so Micah will probably be punctual, too." I hope he's at least that!

We spent some time at the river this past weekend. On the way, we stopped at Wal-Mart in Washington and got Micah his first Halloween costume. I won't divulge anymore...you'll have to wait for pictures on Oct. 31...but it's so cute! Mommy has already committed to take him out visitin' that day - probably to Covenant to see my co-workers and then to see my parents at their jobs.

Jamie started back school this week, so summer is officially over. I'm really excited about fall, though - it's my favorite season. We were a little nervous about Micah coming on the first day of classes...not too good to miss the first day...but now we're really hoping he comes on Friday, September 4. Jamie is off work for six days straight, so that would be ideal. But as much as I want to plan this thing, I know that I can't...sigh.

Is It Time Yet?

2009-08-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

I hate to whine because God knows how blessed I am to be pregnant, but I am so ready for my little boy to be born! My co-workers say I've dropped (yay!), and I think they are right judging from the increased pressure on my bladder the last few days. It's hard with the firstborn to know if the birth is imminent or not. Most days I think, 'I cannot do this another three weeks," but watch me. We've been doing lots of things around the house to get ready for Micah's arrival - boiling passies, pruning bushes, washing bath mats, ~~sort of~~ packing for the hospital, etc. As you can tell, I don't expect we'll be able to do much immediately after he comes, but I may be wrong.

A lot of people have been asking me, "Are you nervous?" Well, I wasn't until people started asking...ha. I look at it like this: I have to be there. And there are drugs available if I need them. I think my excitement about him just overshadows what it will take to get him here.

Speaking of excited...I'm super excited that Angela Blankenship is going to take Micah's first professional photos! My neighbor and I are both expecting within days of each other, so Angela's going to come out and photograph both boys at the same time. We cannot wait - Angela does incredible work!

I'm also excited about a special gift from my husband. He asked at one point if there was anything that would be especially helpful to me once the baby arrives, and I said, "Yes, somebody to clean the house." So, we got somebody! She's actually a good friend who is going to come a couple of times after Micah's born, just until I'm back up on my feet. If you know me, you know that this is better than any piece of jewelry I could ever get. Thank you, Jamie!

Near Term Randomness

2009-08-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

My name is Jennifer, and I'm obsessed with buying baby clothes. (in unison..."Hi Jennifer.") My son already has fall clothes - that is, fall 2010 - and more than enough for all seasons in between. Part of the reason is because I just love to buy him clothes, and part of it is that I love a great deal. Like today, I found OshKosh half-price at Target, so I bought him a couple of polos and some pants for next fall. $15 for three pieces. Now I just hope the sizes match up to his age!

Many of you know that Jamie and I completed Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University course this past spring. As we prepare for Micah's arrival, one of Dave's recommendations is that we write a will. Part of the will is deciding who gets Micah if something should happen to both of us. This is a hard decision for us as we have four sets of parents, so we're thinking about just leaving him to Dave. Not only do we agree with his financial wisdom, but we also like how he's parented his own three children. Do you think our parents would be upset about that? We'd love your thoughts ;-)

So I'm ready for the baby to come OUT. We've actually worked out a deal, me and the baby. He can stay in until Monday when he will be considered "term," but after that, it's GAME ON! I've noticed that I take really deep breaths now, probably because my lungs are squished, and most nights I get up 6-8 times to pee. I'm just ready. Aside from being uncomfortable, I'm really ready to see what he looks like and learn his personality. I also bought his passy clip today, so what's holding him back?!?!

35.5 Weeks

2009-08-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

I had my 35.5 week doctor's appointment Thursday. Everything looks great! No dilation yet, so we're pretty sure he'll be a September baby. The midwife drew a sketch on my belly of how he's laying, so that was cool to see. Now I know it's a foot that has been jabbing me on my right side lately!

It's HOT and I'm ready to deliver! June and July were kind to pregnant women, but August has come on with a vengeance. T-4 weeks at this point, so I'm trying to be patient.

Update from last post...we were able to work out an arrangement with our race timing partners that will allow us to continue scoring all the events we had planned this year. We are so thankful and know that our prayers (and yours) made the difference. Now we know Micah won't go without diapers ;-)

The Only Ship That Doesn't Sail...A Partnership

2009-07-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Most of our life is pretty predictable, but this week we received some news clear out of left field that has challenged us and also put us right where God wants us: total dependence on and trust in Him. At the end of last year, Jamie and his longtime business partner joined forces with a third person to expand our race timing business. Each partner owned 1/3 of a timing system, and this new partner specialized in developing large racing events throughout NC that we timed. Everybody was a winner! With these larger events, our profit margin went up significantly, and this new partner was now paying a timing company 1/3 less than he used to (because of his partial ownership in the system)! We have enjoyed this partnership so far and the opportunity it has afforded me to work part-time from home once our son is born.

Well, this week the deal started changing. Our newest partner backed out, then backed back in, changed terms and added stipulations. It's been ugly - we've been amazed at how business partners (and supposed friends) have treated each other with such little integrity and respect - but we've been determined to conduct ourselves in a way that honors God, even if we lose money. As part of that, we refused to borrow any money for the business. We don't believe that you can build debt and wealth at the same time (thanks to the wisdom of Dave Ramsey), so we refuse to have debt, even if it means that our business grows a little slower. We just sleep better at night that way. Unfortunately, these principles are not common in today's world, and so we're probably going to lose about 15% of our annual income when the partnership dissolves.

The awesome thing about all this, however, is the incredible peace that Jamie and I have both felt about how we have chosen to manage our resources. We feel that God is very much in the "timing" of this, and He has brought some information to light that has caused us to reconsider how we might have otherwise proceeded with this partnership. Furthermore, while this partnership has been a financial blessing to us these last few months, it did not exist a year ago, and something different, better and currently unknown to us could exist tomorrow. In the meantime, would you pray for us? Please pray that God will continue to provide for us as He has always done and that we would continue to make (sometimes tough) decisions for our family that honor Him.

In other news, we chose a special verse for Micah. I was reading 1 Samuel in my quiet time recently and really connected with something Hannah said when she birthed Samuel: I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord. - 1 Samuel 1:27-28

Whining

2009-07-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

I've been sick this week, and it's really kicking my butt! I used to rebound from coughs and colds so easily, but not this time. I'm currently on day 5 of coughing, runny nose and the occasional low grade fever, and I can still hardly muster the energy to fold a load of laundry. And forget about cooking! Wednesday night I used some Christmas money to take us to Outback.

I went to the doctor Wednesday for my 34ish week check-up. Micah is doing great - still head down, moving a lot, weighing around 4.5 pounds. I still have a hard time thinking he's real. He likes to flex his arm in my abdomen, and when I feel that, he becomes more real to me than at any other time. We are so ready to meet our little fella!

I don't know if it's my cold or the culmination of our Expectant Parent's Class, but I'm getting really scared about labor. And weepy. The class really drove home for me how intense this process will be. I knew that, but until the class, I hadn't let myself think about it much. And now that I'm sick, I keep thinking, there is absolutely no way I could've pushed a baby out this week. No way. I'm praying through it and letting go of any ideas I had of doing labor au natural.

Last Hurrah Before Baby

2009-07-20T06:26:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend! Saturday I went to Raleigh with my mom to shop and see the musical, Jersey Boys, which is the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. We called it our Last Hurrah Before Baby. We ate lunch at my favorite restaurant, California Pizza Kitchen, and bought some clothes for ourselves and for Micah. The musical was great! I was surprised that I recognized almost all the songs. When we got home and started putting Micah's new things away, my mom declared a clothing freeze for him. Apparently he has more than enough for his first year ~~and she forgot to tell me that my sister had bought him an entire wardrobe, which I would receive the next day~~. I actually thought he needed more...haha. Mom had to remind me that clothes are re-usable and he'll only be in them for a few months at a time.

I also have to add that while we were gone all day, Jamie did a load of housework. He power washed the house, mowed the grass, installed shelves in our shed, did some stuff to the boat and made dinner! I told him I'm going to skip town about one day a month from now on ;-)

Sunday we had a family shower at a friend's house. We made ice cream sundaes and hung out by the pool. It was the perfect day! My family and friends pretty much cleaned off our registries to the point that we only need 3-4 more things, and we received enough gift cards to cover that. We have been so blessed! Jamie tickles me asking the difference between receiving blankets and swaddle wraps and wanting me to "teach him how Micah works."

Tomorrow is our last Expectant Parent's Class. We'll do the hospital tour. Then Wednesday I have my almost 34-week appointment...Next Friday is Baby Day. I'm taking the day off to finish all things baby...installing the car seats, making sure all his gadgets have batteries, hanging a few more things on his wall, etc. We're down to the wire!

What Is A Jicama Anyway?

2009-07-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

My weekly pregnancy email says that Micah is about the size of a jicama (3.75 pounds) this week. I'm continuing to measure a few days early, and he has a strong heartbeat and has been head-down for weeks. We have most things ready to go and one more shower this weekend - an ice cream sundae shower that's mostly for family.

I'm planning to work part-time from home once Micah is born and had anticipated getting 15-20 hours, but so far I've gotten a lousy eight. Things could change, but it's looking like eight is our number, so we re-did our budget yesterday. It wasn't as daunting as we had expected...we'll still eat and take warm showers...but the days of being DINKs (double income, no kids) are nearly over. I think the discipline will be good for us. In the past, our budget was more like a goal or a rough estimate of what we could (or should) spend each month. Now we'll actually have to live by it. This weekend I told my mom, "This will really be hard for Jamie because he's not used to telling himself no." And she came back with, "Well, neither are you." BUSTED. Oh well... Baby M (not to be confused with BM) is worth it. And God has always provided, and I know He'll continue to as we do our part to wisely manage our finances.

In these last eight weeks of pregnancy, I am...spending lots of QT with Jamie, pottying eight-ish times a night, outgrowing all my maternity clothes, taking classes on nursing and childbirth, staying wet (pool, river or beach), doing lots of "adult activities" (the kinds you don't take kids to, like going to see Jersey Boys this Saturday), assembling all of Micah's new trinkets, getting very excited about meeting my little boy!

Rain Showers and Baby Showers

2009-07-07T06:15:00.000-07:00

Can we say that the summer is flying by? We started our July 4th weekend Saturday morning in Raleigh with the Great Raleigh Road Race. It was, dare I say it, cool outside when we started setting up at 6 am. We had a great time and got down to our river house by mid-afternoon to enjoy the annual July 4th cookout on Kilby Island. I ate my weight in desserts (not to mention barbecue and other things). We also got some new family pictures of the three of us (see some of the out-takes below), and we killed a water moccasin.

Camera Tricks: my father-in-law used a special lense to distort
this picture and make me appear about 72 weeks pregnant.

Eskimo Kissies

Feeling Micah

Sunday the weather was overcast all day. We sat around waiting for it to rain, and finally around 5, we decided it wasn't going to so we all went out for exercise (me walking, Jamie and his dad running). I heard thunder...I knew better...but I continued on my walk anyway. About that time the Heavens opened up and sent a rainy, thundery, lightning mess down on top of us. We all ran home...again, I know better...and after Jamie beat me home, he came back to get me with the golf cart. I climbed in just as a lightning bolt hit (what felt like) right beside me. It was scary for all involved (including Micah, I'm sure).

***

Yesterday, my office mates threw me a "surprise" baby shower by the pool. I had sorta figured it out, but it was awesome anyway. We got some great things for Micah and some homemade extras that I never expected. Brenda, my office mate who taught me to sew, made Micah a pair of booties. (I think she was concerned that I hadn't made him any myself.) My friend, Stephanie, and I have a running joke about that. She is a graphic designer and has painted tons of nurseries, but her own son's room is still not finished. Likewise, I've made baby booties for many of my friends, but Micah would be barefoot without Brenda! As if the booties weren't enough, Brenda's daughter decorates cakes and made us one featuring the booties that Brenda had sewn (see below). They are a crafty pair! I work with an incredible team, and Jamie and I were so blessed by their thoughtfulness and generosity. I will miss them once I start working at home when Micah's born.

Our cake and booties

Some of our goodies...check out the "M" painted with a
running theme. This was a special present from my good friend JJ with Jamie in mind.

First Baby Shower

2009-06-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

We had our first baby shower this weekend hosted by three friends from our couple's group, and it was WONDERFUL! My friends are awesome, generous, creative, thoughtful...I just can't come up with enough adjectives to describe all they did for us and how perfect it all was. I always have this fear when parties are held in my honor that nobody will come. I felt the same way when I had my wedding showers, but people did come and I was very flattered. Thanks to my three hostesses (and good friends), Stephanie, Shannon and Carrie, and to all my friends who came and blessed Micah with so many nice things. And thanks to Carrie and my mom, I have pictures to share! Enjoy!

Me with my hostesses, Stephanie, Shannon and Carrie.
They did an excellent job!

Table setting, which includes some of my favorites like
Edible Arrangements and Stephanie's spinach dip and cupcakes.

Group shot

Party favors

Our loot...we are blessed!

Closeup of all Micah's goodies

I forgot to take off my bedroom shoes for this picture.
I look like such a housewife.

Nursery Tour

2009-06-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

Stephanie painted our nursery Friday and put the finishing touches on Monday. She worked really hard to get it finished before my parents came over for Father's Day, and we really appreciated that! I think she did an awesome job. Our neighbor, Karen, made the letters on the wall (the pictures don't do them justice ;-). We get more compliments about these letters, K - great job! I hope that Micah will let me keep his room this way until he's at least 4. By then he'll probably want a "big boy" room, so I'm relishing this opportunity to create a room for him of my own choosing. Enjoy the tour!

Jellyfish Season

2009-06-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

If I had a camera with me and took pictures like the rest of you do, then I'd have one posted here of Jamie opening his father-to-be card this morning. He's so ready for Micah to come out and play! I am, too, as I can't seem to get comfortable sleeping now and sometimes wake up with really bad leg cramps and a husband whispering, "Can you settle down please?" We go back to the doctor this Friday to see how everyone's doing.

We are wrapping up a wonderful weekend at the river house. Yesterday a few friends came down for the day. We started out with a boat ride and a swim in Bath Creek. As we were swimming around, I noticed that the water had started to sting. Then I shouted several wirty dords as I made a beeline for the boat. Turns out I had been unknowingly swimming with a jelly fish, but thankfully only my arms got stung and thankfully everybody else was okay. Since we didn't have any meat tenderizer on the boat (a common cure for jelly fish stings), our friends suggested that ammonia via urine was my only option for relief. After we all laughed about this, Jamie peed on my arms and they felt a lot better. When we got back to the river house, I called my doctor to make sure that Micah wasn't in danger (he wasn't) and then we carried on with a wonderful day of lounging in our blow-up pool (an excellent buy!) and fishing. Only much later did I realize I had forgotten to wash my arms off...

Also, as Jamie is reading this over my shoulder, he's begging me to "tell them about my fishes." He caught some fish yesterday - a flounder and a trout - that we'll eat with my parents one night this week. We love fresh fish in the summer time!

I have Issues

2009-06-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

The first is that my right foot and ankle are swollen, but my left looks completely normal. The right has gotten so big that I can't fit into my sandals anymore. I know that edema is a normal part of pregnancy, especially in the summer, but it seems odd that only one side is swelling. I read up online to see if I could do anything to alleviate this discomfort (along with swelling, my right foot also aches and falls asleep sometimes), and the advice I found was: sleep on your left side (check), don't cross legs while sitting (oops), prop up feet while working (oops again), don't eat junk food (oops a third time). On a positive note, I don't have any stretch marks yet :-D

My second issue is really retarded. Prior to getting married, Jamie and I discussed our desire for me to be a sahm (stay at home mom) once the babies came along. Well, that's our plan when Micah arrives - aside from a few hours I'll work each week from home - but as I'm finishing out my last few months at Covenant, I'm noticing that I'm losing some of my responsibilities, I don't feel as important anymore, I'm not invited to as many meetings, etc. Logically, I understand. After all, as Jamie put it, "They're cutting you back because you asked them to." But I also don't feel as valued or needed anymore, and that's a hard pill to swallow. I know once Micah is here, those feelings will go away. I'll have a new purpose then, and truly I'm so thankful to be able to stay home with him. But doggoneit, right now I want to go to those meetings! I laugh just reading that because I HATE meetings.

Tonight we're hosting a baby shower for our friends, Brandon and Carrie, and their baby, Stokes. This shower really is a double blessing: we get to spend time with good friends, and the occasion prompted Jamie to clean some areas of the house that normally get ignored...Tomorrow, Stephanie is coming over to paint the nursery (and hopefully take some pictures...she's a much better photographer than I am). I'll be hanging out with her 1-year-old, Aaron, practicing up for next summer...

Blink and You'll Miss Us!

2009-06-15T05:54:00.001-07:00

Weekends zoom by...but then again, weeks do, too. I can't believe I'm already 28 weeks pregnant (picture coming)! We spent the weekend at the beach with my parents. It was awesome! We broke in the new skiff, and Jamie and my stepdad had a great time fishing on Sunday. I spent a lot of time with my mom - walking on the beach, swimming, beating Micah to death in the waves, etc. And much to the dismay of my health nut husband, I went to Dairy Queen and got my one brownie batter blizzard for the summer. It was decadent!

After I made my nursing cover, I had grand intentions of making lots of other things (see previous post). But when? I know that's a question I'll be asking even more when Micah comes, but it's true now since I married a man who doesn't sit still. Now we've become a couple who doesn't sit still. This week, for example, we're going to my mom's house for dinner tonight to eat the fish Jamie and Larry caught, tomorrow night we're going to dinner for Jamie's mom's birthday, Wednesday we're cleaning and mowing the grass, Thursday we're having our couple's group over for a baby shower for Micah's friend, Stokes, and Friday we get the nursery painted and then head to the river for the weekend. Whew! We have a lot of fun, but I hope this baby can keep up!

Blessed Freebies!

2009-06-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

I hit the jackpot last week! Two of my co-workers offered up their gently used baby items for me to have...free! We're getting a car seat for Jamie's car, a jumparoo, an exersaucer and a swing! Like most first-time moms, I picked out all this new stuff for my baby. Then I got over it. He has plenty of new things, but I'm so thankful for these used items in particular. You never really know if a baby will like a swing or a jumparoo, so why buy that stuff new only to risk it never getting used? My mom also stumbled upon a half-off baby sale at Belk's this weekend. Thanks to her and my friend, Suzanne, Micah is already well outfitted for the next year. What a blessing!

I had my gestational diabetes test on Friday. I chose the orange drink and didn't think it was all that bad. Maybe that's because I'm used to drinking syrupy sweet tea. The lab tech said she would call me today or tomorrow if I failed. So no news from her is good news. If I do fail, then I'll go back for a 3-hour test to either confirm or reverse my failure. In other OB news, the baby is still doing well and already appears to be head down. This is a great time in my pregnancy; the sickness is long gone, my energy level has perked up, and I'm rounding out but still not so big that I feel like a beached whale. The only new symptom I'm noticing is my sensitivity to heat, which doesn't make for a very pleasant summer ahead. We're going to the beach this weekend and my only request is to find a tide pool to sit in for the afternoon.

I'm back into sewing hardcore. Next on my agenda: sewing machine cover and passy clips. I hear those clips are hard to find, so I was super excited to find this tutorial online.

Update: I passed my diabetes test! I couldn't stand the "no news is good news" approach, so I finally called this afternoon and they gave me the results. Praise!