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we went on a trip, and some other stuff

Hey-o. It’s been a couple of weeks. Bear with me as life has been kind of a blur, but today I really miss blogging and want to get back into it. Right now a blog that is motivating me (and that I’m loving) is Camp Patton. I will never be as funny as she is but I love how she writes so regularly, just everyday relatable stories, and maybe I can do something like that.

So in that spirit, here’s what’s been up. Apparently I’m still growing a human inside of me, although I don’t always entirely believe it. But if we just go with the evidence, I’m 15 weeks along and into the second trimester now. Feeling pretty good most of the time. I think I’m in denial that my belly is actually growing because I walk around constantly sucking it in subconsciously, even at home alone. The bloating factor is out of control but it seems like lately the belly is maybe not all bloat?

Classy bathroom work pic I just took for the purpose of this post. I was hungry when I took this and not bloated (I don’t think) so this might be the current actual state of things. Not that exciting I admit.

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Here is something else cool and kind of crazy that happened. Last Friday I got a panicked email from one of my best friends who lives in Nashville and it was the kind of situation where I just knew I needed to go be with her and would regret it forever if I didn’t. Thankfully I have an awesome husband who hatched the plan and we ended up dropping everything and driving through the night to arrive there on Saturday morning, toddler in tow. David then slept all day and drove back home again leaving Meredith and me to have girl time with our friend. (How awesome is he???) I took Monday and Tuesday off and then we flew home.

Hanging out at the airport Starbucks. I had a frappuccino (I can tolerate a little coffee again!) and Meredith downed a chocolate milk.

What we did in Nashville during our down time was: eat almost every meal at a yummy local place, visit different parks, sit outside and read while Meredith explored and played with the dog, and take afternoon naps. Y’all, I am hooked on afternoon naps now. Since I wasn’t at home I couldn’t use Meredith’s nap time to do chores like I usually do so instead I slept or just laid on the bed and read if I couldn’t fall asleep. It felt so indulgent and awesome. I’ve decided that from now on, on the weekends, I am going to do my chores while Meredith is awake and force myself to rest during naptime.

Oh, and here’s an adorable video of Meredith chasing some geese.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps6d59XtY8M&feature=share&list=UUq1PjU9IHmGG-iKAwH9PNAg

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So you know how I’m kind of lazy about showers and baths? Well before my trip I was a couple days overdue for a shower and when I returned it took a few days for me to get around to another one and the result was about a week and a half since I had used my tub and the whole time an inflatable baby tub was sitting in it making the floor super slippery and yeah, I totally fell in the shower. I kind of caught myself, but I felt like a geriatric.

I was also super overdue for trimming Meredith’s nails and before work yesterday morning I all of a sudden couldn’t stand to send her to school with them long enough to be used as weapons but she was NOT cooperating with me. In a burst of inspiration I decided to give her my first bribe and told her that if I could trim her nails I’d give her a cookie. Immediate success ensued so I’m basically winning at this parenting thing.

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We’re on a strict budget now, trying to prepare ourselves for the bomb of a second kid to drop and all, and I’m pretty good about not spending extra money but right now there are several things that I don’t necessarily need but they would really make life a little bit better and those things are: a new blender to replace my broken one because I miss smoothies, a kid-sized table and chairs, some good quality flip-flops like Rainbows, and a bunch more maxi skirts or other summer appropriate clothes that can transition into maternity wear.

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Lastly, and this is the last point I promise, but I am making a plan to get my normal productive life back. This weekend my goals are to make and freeze a bunch of these breakfast sandwiches, meal plan and grocery shop for next week, and print photos so I can hopefully get caught up on Project Life.

So that’s my glamorous life, and get ready to hear more about it.

August 9, 2013
motherhood confessions

I have made a lot of decisions as a mother just to make life easier on us as a family. As long as everyone’s safety is taken care of, pretty much anything else is flexible. Especially now that I’m expecting again, things have taken an even greater turn for the laid-back, usually in favor of a little more rest or sleep. I know I can’t be alone in this, so let me tell you about it.

Here’s a blurry picture of me in my post-work laziness, and Meredith copying me. Not pictured is her lack of pants or diaper. Can’t keep clothes on that girl.

>Meredith doesn’t like bedtime and it’s hard to get her to wind down, so for awhile now we’ve been taking her on a drive almost every night to get her to fall asleep.

>She still sleeps in bed with us, too. It’s been good, but I’m ready to move her out at least to make room for a new baby. But I really don’t know if it’s going to work. We had grand plans to transition her a couple weeks ago but it keeps not happening. We might just keep going with the family bed out of laziness.

>She still nurses a lot too. There’s not much there, but she’s in a very needy stage and although a break sounds nice and I don’t mind the idea of weaning, I’m not going to force it. Tandem nursing a toddler and a newborn sounds overwhelming but it might just end up happening.

>We don’t do baths very often. For myself I try to shower every other day but baths are hit or miss with Meredith (whether she’ll scream through it or play happily) so it’s more like I force it on her whenever her hair gets nasty enough and otherwise it’s spot cleaning only. I also usually just throw her in the shower with me.

>When she first wakes up in the morning – on a work day while I’m getting ready or on a weekend when I’m trying to grasp a few more minutes of sleep – she immediately grabs my phone and I don’t even care how long she plays with it. Mostly she just likes to look through the peeshurs (pictures).

>Speaking of screen time, we don’t limit it right now but that’s probably because she doesn’t have much interest in it. There is one show on Disney called Jessie that she really likes (for a few minutes anyway) but apart from that she’s not into it. I wish she would be.

>There is no way I was giving up caffeine during this pregnancy. Coffee was immediately disgusting to me though (still sad about it) so I’ve been taking caffeine pills. Kinda pathetic.

>I am also not super reliable about taking my vitamins. I’m trying though, really I am.

>Let’s not even talk about food and the kinds of dinners we have around here right now. Or breakfasts. I figure at least Meredith eats pretty well at school.

You guys, there is more. But I’m out of time. Please tell me: what are your parenthood confessions? Because I’m pretty sure that I’ll be able to relate.

July 29, 2013
meredith at 2 years old

Last weekend Meredith turned two. She is adorable, cuddly, kissable, sweet, exhausting, needy, fussy, exasperating, and perfect.

Things she loves:

>Trying on shoes and walking in mine. Going through all her clothes and carrying them around.

>Playing on her dirt table and collecting rocks.

>Books! Her favorites right now are: Easter Surprise, Nursery Rhymes, Good Morning Good Night, Dr. Moggle’s Alphabet Challenge, and family photo books.

>The Lego table at daycare, riding toys, trucks

>Going on the “mermaid express” (when we bounce her up and down pretending she’s on a train) and we know she wants to play when she says, “all aboo! [all aboard] Choo choo.”

>The dogs, and it’s adorable to hear her call them by name – Ah-dee for Eddie and Kee-o for Cleo.

>Oh, and being naked. Takes her clothes off constantly.

>Browsing the pictures on my phone, playing Peekaboo barn & fridge (her favorite apps)

>Fruit snacks (her special treat from daddy)

>Stroller rides and walks

Also:

>She gets super attached to random objects and always wants to take a new item to daycare with her. Examples: her jacket (holds it like a blanket, don’t even try to make her wear it), pajamas, towel, stuffed animal, washcloth, baby doll, toy truck, brush, Q-tips, books, toothbrush, an outdoor thermometer shaped like a fish

>She’s still a mama’s girl but is getting more and more attached to daddy.

>New words every day, but my favorites are how she started calling me mommy instead of mama, the way she says “towel” (sounds like “dow” and is very pronounced), and I love you.

>For awhile she did this thing where she would smush her face into ours and it was the best.

>Let’s be real though. Lately she has also been needier than ever and refuses to lie down to go to sleep. We have a loose routine but aren’t very good at keeping it (something about being exhausted in the evenings) and we’ve been resorting to driving her to sleep each night. Everything is a phase, right?

>Only has a couple more teeth to go!

>Still nursing. Like, wants to nurse all evening long but then refuses it before bedtime because she knows it will make her sleepy. Sigh.

>Asks about her grandparents all the time. Had the best relationship with her Gigi (great-grandmother) who just passed away a day before her birthday. I know she’s young but I hope that maybe, just maybe, she’ll remember her.

July 23, 2013
project life 2013 : weeks 22 – 26 (june)

For awhile there the last thing I wanted to do was work on this project. I barely took pictures or notes, which is why this single spread encompasses five weeks; the end of May and all of June. I’m totally fine with that and just happy to get anything down. I put this together in two sessions: one to get the basic layout and papers in place, and two to add journaling and finish up.

So this is from May 27 to June 30. Not a lot happened other than finding out I’m pregnant and getting through the days. Other than one picture of a picnic with a friend, these are all updates about Meredith and journaling.

When I first got this positive test my husband even made the comment, “I’m sure this will be documented to death.” Funny that this picture is the only one I took. That’s just how tired I’ve been.

I love this picture of Meredith with an armful of stuff. Lately she won’t go anywhere without it all.

And another one of my favorite pictures of her. It really captures her happiness (and love of dirt). Like I wrote, she reminds me every day why pregnancy is worth it. :)

So I am sort of “caught up” with this now, but I don’t think I will be able to go back to 2-week spreads just yet. We are dealing with a lot of toddler issues and transitions with Meredith that I want to get straightened out and it is taking all my time and energy! I am going to try to keep up a monthly spread for now until I get back into my groove. We’ll see how it goes. :)

July 15, 2013
what i read : april to june 2013

So I’ve still been reading, and here’s what I read and what I thought.

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller: Although this isn’t my favorite of Donald Miller’s books I still appreciated so many things about it. I love his writing style and even when he seems like he’s just rambling I enjoy it. I have never really thought of my life in terms of a story and it was helpful to think about what makes a good one and how that can apply to real life. The anecdotes were great, some of them extremely touching. It was also a fast and easy read. (3 stars)

Bittersweet by Shauna Niequist: I have never read Shauna’s blog and I don’t remember how I ended up with this book but I know it was given to me. I was in the mood for a memoir so I picked it up, and I enjoyed it. The chapters are kind of random and don’t exactly follow any kind of order, so in that way I felt like I was reading a series of long blog posts. I don’t think I liked that part, but everything did follow a theme and I found myself tearing up many times throughout. I think the one main feeling I had when I finished, and probably the one thing I will think about when I remember this book, is that it encouraged me to look for community and to foster relationships intentionally. (3 stars)

Wild by Cheryl Strayed: This is not a short book, and I have a job and a toddler, but I still managed to read it in less than two days. That’s how good it is. I don’t know if the author and I would be friends in real life, but I liked her and admired her for her honesty and her courage. Her story was inspiring. It made me want to do something brave. (5 stars)

Matched by Ally Condie: This was a YA dystopia that was an easy & fast read. The world and plot were compelling enough and I am interested to see what happens. The writing is simple and straightforward with short sentences which seems to be the norm for this genre. My problem was with the characters. I didn’t feel like they were developed at ALL. There was a love triangle, but I honestly couldn’t care which guy she chose because they were both fine, and one was quickly friend-zoned so the romantic tension fell flat in that area. Overall I thought it was average for the genre, although I would read the next one to find out what happens. (3 stars)

Abhorsen by Garth Nix: Only the perfect conclusion to one of my now all-time favorite series. And seriously, the audiobook, narrated by Tim Curry, is amazing. This was supremely satisfying and I recommend the whole trilogy starting with Sabriel. (audiobook, 5 stars)

The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler: This is a very heavily character-driven book, so if you need a fast-paced plot to keep you interested this isn’t for you. But I loved it. It was a book club choice and I was super worried when I read that it was about a man recovering from his son’s death because I tend to become an emotional wreck faced with tragedies happening to children. But the book starts about a year after the death and for some reason that softened the blow. Of course there were some emotional parts, but the focus wasn’t on the tragedy, it was on the character of Macon Leary: who he was and who he became in the wake of it. I say it focused on Macon, and that’s true, but ALL of the characters are amazingly clear. His two brothers, sister, boss, the woman he meets after his wife leaves him…even the dog is a character all his own. I laughed and I cried, truly. It was such an enjoyable read. (4 stars)

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin: Her first book The Happiness Project was almost revolutionary to me and so inspiring. This wasn’t exactly the same but very close. It felt too similar to the first to grab me the same way, but I did get ideas. (3 stars)

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen: It’s been a long time since I read a book like this, just completely light and feel-good. It was just what I needed at the moment and made me happy. (4 stars)

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin: A new fantasy series that was recommended to me and was quite interesting. The first half reminded me so much of another book but then everything changed and I got into it more. She developed a really great character that made me want to know what he would do with his life. (audiobook, 4 stars)

Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier: This was fine. Just fine. It was historical fiction and I did appreciate the writing in that descriptions of a maid’s lifestyle and all the mundane tasks didn’t bore me. I wouldn’t say it was a romance even though there were hints of it. Probably a little disappointing for what I wanted out of it, but it was fine. (3 stars)

Unafraid by Francine Rivers: I read this for a church book club; I was supremely touched by the content of it and it made me think about the life of Jesus on earth as I never have before. The writing is average though – I have read better from this author. (3 stars)

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. LeGuin: This was the second of the Earthsea books. It had an entirely different protagonist and the wizard that we came to love in the first book didn’t show up until partway through. I enjoyed the new setting but the first half of the book was starting from scratch with character- and world-building. It really picks up with his appearance though. (4 stars)

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin: Who doesn’t know what this is about by now? I am personally totally hooked on the story and am going through withdrawals as I wait for the next audiobook to be available from the library. I liked it from the beginning but it took until about halfway for me to really feel pulled in. I am sure that I will continue with the entire series even though it’s forever long. (audiobook, 4 stars)

July 5, 2013