5 weeks and counting

My mom says I may be setting myself up to be disappointed, but I just have this feeling that the baby is going to be early, so even though my due date is October 12, I keep thinking I only have till the first week of October...

This experience has been so different than the first. At this point in it all:

1. I am feeling huge. A 4 year old at church kept asking me the other night "why are you so fat?" which produced some fleeting thoughts of which I quickly repented.

2. I can no longer reach my toes, which gave me a great excuse to enjoy a deluxe spa pedicure this week.

3. I am officially in training for the sleepless nights that lie ahead because I am too uncomfortable to sleep anyways.

4. I have had ice cream 5 out of the past 6 days. I gave up weighing myself 7 days ago.

5. I finished decorating the nursery and I wander into her room at least several times a day to just pause and wonder what she will be like and to imagine what it will be like to hold her.

Here are some pictures of her room:

My mom made the crib skirt and I love it when things turn out just the way you pictured them in your head.

The walls are a pale blue and I made a curtain to match the crib skirt. The cross-stitch pictures were made by my great-grandmother and the pink chair is from Brad's grandmother. So, 3 generations of mothers contributed to her room!

Empty Nest

There is an obscure verse in the book of Proverbs that I've been reminded of this week:

"Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest (Proverbs 14:4)"

We have had 3 days without Grant this week - our manger has been empty. The house has been so quiet. I cleaned and it has stayed clean. I've accomplished things that I've been wanting to get done. I've run mindless errands with a friend with no time constraint. And yet, I miss him terribly. While I have relished some of the benefits of his absence, he leaves a void that is always felt.

The benefits:
1. We moved everything out of the spare bedroom and the nursery is now painted a perfect sky blue. I kind of laugh when I think about how I painted my little girls room blue, but it is so calming.

2. I made a yummy dinner for our Steven and Jessica. It's so nice to cook slowly. We had meatloaf, potatoes, grilled cream corn, and homemade ice cream. Then, Steven and Brad put the crib back together. When I walk past the room I am surprised by it's presence - its a very real reminder of whats approaching.

3. I bought stuff for several decorating projects that will soon be underway for the nursery. Something to spell her name, ribbon for the canvas I made for her, etc. The colors of the room are red, pink and blue. More pictures coming soon, but here is the canvas:



4. I slept in, napped, watched tv, and generally enjoyed my alone time.

The cons:
1. I've missed my morning ritual "mommy - i have a morning hug for you". morning hugs are the best way to start the day.

2. I've missed hearing a little person's perspective on things. It brings color to your world in a way nothing else can.

3. I've missed my nighttime ritual - going into his room after he's asleep to see what creation he has built in the dark. See below for an example:

I will go and pick him up tomorrow and I can't wait!

Cousin Camp 2010

The summer has flown by and I haven't been too inspired to blog lately, but Cousin Camp just ended and I had to chronicle our adventures. This was Amy and I's second year to spend a few days at the ranch with the kids. I have to admit I delayed setting the date this year. Not because I didn't have fun last year, but its August, I'm almost 8 months pregnant, and I'm beginning to be lazy. Nonetheless, we made it happen and not only that, we survived to tell about it. This year the age roll call was 7, 4, 3, and almost 2. Definitely easier than last year, but still full of challenges. On the itinerary? We spent lots of time outside: at the lake, at the park, picnicking, roasting marshmallows, doing art projects, and swimming. We even managed a pizza night at Peter Piper Pizza, which is always a hit. All in all - another year of great memories. Next year the roll call will be 5 cousins! I'm thankful for a sister who is a supermom and champions these types of events - Grant is lucky to have her as an aunt.

When running low on ways to pass the time in the country, simply fill up spray bottles with water and let the kids torment spiders and bugs - it makes for lots of excitement!

This was one of my favorite parts of cousin camp - each kid had their own poster board to paint and there was also a sheet they could all paint. We had spray bottles filled with different colors and lots of different brushes to use.

Grant may be an artist. He loves to paint and would do so everyday if I let him. Every time he finishes a painting he says to me, "Isn't it so beautiful?"

Making 'birthday cakes' in the sand at the lake. Grant and Sophia could be occupied for hours by concocting various things in the sand using bits of grass, sticks and rocks.

25,000 words

Because Brad is at youth camp and I'm not getting in my 25,000 words a day, here is a random collection of thoughts from this week:

1. I don't always know how to respond to Grant. He didn't like the way I was playing with his blocks this morning so he stopped and told me, "Mommy, when you play with me you have to obey the rules. And you have to be nice because God wants us to be nice." What am I supposed to say to that? He catches me off-guard with this stuff.

2. I am worried I might fail the gestational diabetes test I took today. Not that I know of any correlation, but I am eating probably 1/4 of a watermelon a day and that has to be a lot of sugar...

3. I think its because Brad is at youth camp and the nights seem long, but for some reason I got nostalgic last night and made tapioca pudding. I wanted it to remind me of my grandmother. It didn't turn out like hers. I don't know if that was because I made it with raw goat milk, or because I put in the vanilla too soon, or if its just because tapioca is actually a pretty strange thing. I actually have no idea what tapioca really is??...

4. I looked back at my new years resolutions and I haven't made good on very many of them. Particularly the reading goal. Part of this was due to way too many good tv shows during the spring...However, I am 3 chapters into 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett (thanks to the diabetes test) and it is SO good!

5. I was drug to see Eclipse. It was my first real introduction into the Twilight phenomenon and now I have another reason to be worried about what its going to be like to raise a girl because I just don't get it.

6. Had a plumber here for 4 hours today. He said our plumbing looks like it was done by someone who didn't know what they were doing over a weekend with whatever materials were on hand at the moment. I often feel bad that Brad and I aren't DIY people. But today was proof that it's overrated sometimes. And as a side note, our plumber lived up to every stereotype of a plumber, which was both offensive and a tiny bit amusing at the same time.

7. I am 27 weeks pregnant. In 2 weeks I will be in last trimester. When I look at the calendar I break out in a cold sweat. Time is going by too fast. I am excited to have her, but I'm not ready yet. I need time to plan, to nest, to rest, to savor just Grant, to get up the courage to go through labor and delivery again. I was on autopilot for so long at the beginning of this pregnancy and so I'm beginning to feel a little behind in my processing of all of it.

8. Received an unspeakably sad prayer request from church today that is haunting me. Reminding me of how delicate life is, how little control we all have. Reminding me to live every day.

Oklahoma Repeat

Well, Amy and I made our annual trek to Oklahoma with all of the kids to visit my grandfather. After last year, just the thought of this trip made me tired and cranky. But, we are older and smarter: this year we made sure to plan the trip when both husbands could come!

Thankfully, the trip turned out to be much more calm. Still hard, but I think any trip with 4 small kids is bound to be exhausting, and maybe more so when you are 6 months pregnant. For only being there about 36 hours, we packed in the activities: lots of swimming, horse rides, visits to the animal refuge and playing by the lake and pond.

Yep, this is where we stayed. I think the picture says enough. I kind of felt like we were at camp!
The pond at the Indian Lodge provided some good entertainment.
Playing 'swamp monster'. Sophia of course is the most dramatic and Joshua is just confused.

Riding on King Kong with the help of Uncle Mike.

When it's all said and done, I'm so glad we made the effort. Having Grant get to spend time his great-grandfather is so special and I hope that next year he will get to meet the baby!

summer days

This summer has been marked by one thing so far - lots of swimming and lots of being around and near the water! Makes me wish I was Grant's age again - when you could spend the entire day in the pool and never get tired. I have been having a great time too - just beginning to feel a tad too much like a whale in my maternity swimsuit...!

May finished with 2 weeks of swim lessons. While they weren't without tears, they were hugely successful and turned our frightened little guy into a confident and happy (even under-water!) swimmer.

sprinklers are the ultimate investment. $5 for hours of fun, especially when you add such things as a umbrella into the mix.
lazy day at lake whitney
pure happiness at port aransas. (don't be fooled however - all good things must come to an end. a huge wave rudely knocked him out of the boat and he was finished with the water for the day!)
fishing with his spiderman fishing pole on the pier at port aransas. grant actually gave it a whole hour and wasn't even upset that we didn't catch anything. i'll call that a successful fishing trip any day.

second time differences

how can i be half done with this pregnancy? time needs to slow down and in a hurry! i always wondered how the second time around would go. some of the differences:

i had heard that you started showing sooner with your second. that was correct information. its as if the very second i became pregnant my stomach muscles waved a white flag and immediately surrendered, as if to say "we know its a losing battle so we give up now". thanks a lot stomach muscles - i wish you had more fight in you.

thankfully i am no longer working full-time and therefore it is impossible to hide snicker bars and pop tarts in my desk like i did with grant. if only my co-workers had stopped me! however, while i am not hoarding snickers, this time around i am consuming a lot of bagels and cream cheese...

i am seeing a midwife this time. for many reasons. one of which is that i figure no amount of pain could be worse than my first delivery so might as well save money and not pay for an epidural :)

yoga is my new best friend. i don't know why i didn't practice yoga the first time around - it is a life saver for my back aches, which are already plaguing me and its only 21 weeks. plus i have a yoga buddy. grant tried to practice tree pose with me the other day - it is hilarious to watch him try to balance.

being pregnant with a pre-schooler has its pros and cons. con: you can't rest as much as you would like. pro: you get to share this new life with a child, which makes for some interesting and sweet conversations. one day grant asked me if trees and plants also grow in mommy's bellies (??) the other day he exclaimed "whoa - your belly is getting bigger!" and then last night he spontaneously started singing his own made-up lullaby to the baby. he often talks about how he is going to help take care of his baby sister, how he wants to get her a pink blanket, and how he will make sure she doesn't tear the pages of his books. its just funny to never know what will come out of his mouth and i like going through this experience with him.

lastly, maybe my favorite difference is being able to daydream about a girl nursery! i am just now letting myself think about it and the ideas are starting to form. so far i really like this look at rosenberry rooms and think we could re-create it on our own for a fraction of the cost! but, i am not 100% yet - its much too early to stop looking for ideas - that's half the fun :)

grant isms

the latest i've been hearing:

1. "that's not fair!" this made me smile the first time as it sounded like a teenager and not a 3 year old.

2. almost every day we ride our bikes over to pet our neighbor's horse. each time we leave, grant climbs on his bike, starts riding, and then shouts back, "i love you horsie. remember to eat your lunch."

3. "oh dear". he says this anytime he drops something or spills something. oh dear. oh dear.

4. (in a sing-song voice): "i - have - a - hug - for - you". this is my favorite saying - he'll often come up and whisper it in your ear then tackle you with a hug.

5. "mommy, i need to tell you a see-cred". then he gets right next to your ear and whispers something unintelligible in a way that is very ticklish.

6. lots of made-up stories. as in today's version: "mommy, last year when i was a dog, i used to run all around and get muddy." hmmm, really?

7. almost every time he asks permission for something he ends it by asking, 'no or yes'? as in "can i have this drink please - no or yes?" or "can we play chase - no or yes?" i swear he never gives me time to answer before the 'no or yes' clause gets added to his request. i told brad the world might be a lot simpler if we all asked each other questions that demanded a clear no or yes.

8. lots of funny questions about God and Jesus. the latest: today we walked out of target and it was so sunny that he covered his eyes. then he asked me, "tell Jesus to make it night time right now!".

9. and finally, the extremely random questions. like the one this morning: (imagine the question being asked with big eyes as if a light-bulb went off in his head) "mommy, where do giants go potty? do they have a really really big potty?!"

ranch life

grant and his grandad

another mother's day

Hard to believe this will be the fourth Mother's Day I've been able to celebrate as a mom. I wish I had a picture from the first one. My mom and I are standing together out front near the trees and I am holding my then very chubby 3 month old. It is one of my favorite pictures as I think there is something sacred about the legacy of generations and love. I have been kind of absent on blogging lately and need to catch up because I want to record all the memories - his vocabulary and abilities are expanding each day, making for some very funny sayings and lots of good times.

This Mother's Day is different because I am also thinking of the baby to come. I felt my first flutter a week ago and now I feel them several times throughout the day. I love this quote from Christine's blog:

"all the time we wondered and wondered, who is this person coming/growing/turning/floating/swimming deep, deep inside".

This pregnancy has been so different than the first. With a three year old boy, I don't have much time to reflect on it. Yet now it is making itself known - reminding me that it's there, moving and growing. And I'm starting to daydream more about this secret inside me - who and what it will be like...

2009 Mothers Day

2008

you know you're tired when...

you somehow fall out of bed while sleeping and never actually climb back in.

if only he were this tired every night :) . and yes, he is wearing a swimsuit and socks to bed - he is a very opinionated dresser these days.

Spring

We have been taking advantage of the spring weather lately. We finally fixed Grant's bike, which means we have been riding 24/7. We have also been having lots of picnics and outside play. We went to the ranch the other day for a picnic next to the river and to take some pictures in the bluebonnets. The wildflowers weren't out as much as we had hoped, but it was still a beautiful day. My goal is to enjoy this season as much as possible since I know that a hot summer awaits us!

What They Don't Tell You

Since I typically work at Baylor while Grant is at MDO, I don't have a lot of time to just clean and organize the house. So, I took today off and worked like mad for 6 straight hours. I made my spring cleaning Excel sheet a week ago and I'm happy to say I'm now able to cross off about 1/5 of the items - at least its progress! However, spending time in Grant's room and picking up the entire house, I was reminded of lots of things that no ever tells you before you have kids. Like...

1. Your house gets SO messy!!! For every hour that your child is not at preschool or daycare and is instead at home playing, you can: dump a box of toys on the ground, grind some crackers and playdough into the carpet, and spill a sticky drink on the kitchen floor.

2. Sippy cups and bottles are not leak proof. In fact, after about a year of your child drinking on his own, you will FOREVER be discovering little white, dried milk spots on EVERYTHING. It's fascinating really how this happens - I don't understand how they can be everywhere.

3. There are all sorts of things that were once innocent to you but become your arch-enemy. Since I just finished vacuuming the entire house, I can now say that easter basket grass is no longer allowed in our house - ever.ever.ever. Last month I almost banished playdough, but couldn't bring myself to do it.

4. I have not read this in a book (but then again, I don't really read a lot of parenting books), but apparently hoarding and cramming small objects into nooks and crannies is important for a child's development. Today I found: an assortment of marbles, magnets, blocks, and easter grass stuffed into about every bag that Grant owns, crumbled up and dried out tortillas stuffed into his Diego rescue pack (which by the way, is not meant to have anything stuffed into it), and I could go on and on...

5. Once you have a child you will engage in a life-long battle: you vs. toys. I really think they might be alive, just like Toy Story. They seem to breed. And they seem to move around even when they should be in their place. And I think they secretly laugh at you when you open the box and realize that this particular toy has about 101 pieces to it.

6. You will forever be discovering kid items in your bed. This may just apply to me because I don't make our bed. I would say we make our bed about 5 times a year. However, I diligently wash the sheets every week. And every week its just a mystery what I will find when I shake the sheets off: small books, stuffed animals, toy keys. How our bed becomes just another toy box, I have yet to figure out.

7. Having touch-up paint on hand becomes critical. Today as I was wiping a chocolate hand print off the wall-paper I decided that I want our next house to be all wall-paper. I re-touch our paint about once a month - I think wall-paper would be much friendlier. However, I sadly learned today that even wall-paper has a flaw - Mr. Clean erasers don't work on it. Meaning, the pen mark that leads all the way through the dining room compliments of Grant is immortalized.

Okay - I feel better. At least for a little while longer I can sit here and enjoy knowing that everything in the house is in it's proper place.

Easter

It seemed so appropriate to celebrate Easter this year alongside the beginnings of spring. It was such a good weekend for so many reasons:

1. Mom, Jessica, and I got away for a night and went to Round Top - a last minute trip of sorts, which are always the most fun. We stayed in a cute little historic hotel, ate fabulous food, and bargained our way into some great purchases...well, Jessica did the bargaining. I just gave her my wallet and she acted as my buyer :)

2. Saturday brunch at the Elite with friends. I love that Waco now offers a great brunch place. And what is better as a parent than getting a babysitter so you can go out to breakfast instead of dinner?

3. Not so fun: Grant crawling into our bed early Easter morning to sleep. Very special: getting to wake up with him and snuggle and explain why we celebrate Easter. Looking out the window to the sunrise service in the cemetery and explaining why daddy was over there with so many other people.

4. Probably the best Easter service since we've been at Bosqueville - and having my mom there made it even more special.

5. Getting to have Easter dinner at the ranch with my mom and friends. Steven and Jessica and Jo Beth and Dustin joined us. Blake was there too. My mom is the best cook so we feasted and then just sat out back until the stars came out - listening to Steven play the guitar, playing frisbee, just enjoying each other and the beautiful setting.

Dyeing Easter Eggs: Part 1

Dyeing Easter Eggs: Part 2.

As is typical with a boy I suppose, the day after we created such pretty eggs, Grant insisted we take them all outside and have a little science experiment, smashing and poking them with various objects.

Hunting Easter eggs at the ranch.

Dressed up in his first suit. He looked so old!

San Antonio Trip

We come from such a neat city, but hardly ever take time to really enjoy it as a tourist would. Last week the Bowlin family drove down to spend a few days with us just enjoying San Antonio. As our custom when our families are together, we packed it in! Day One: the Riverwalk and Alamo. Day Two: Seaworld, Baylor Game, Dinner at the Lodge Restaurant after the kids went to bed. Day Three: Kiddie Park, lunch on the patio at La Fonda (love eating outside in great weather), cupcakes, swimming at the Herridges, Dinner at Paesano's after the kids went to bed! The weather couldn't have been better for our trip and I think the kids had as much fun as us.

Disclaimer: I hardly take pictures anymore because this is the face Grant puts on whenever the camera comes out. Other Disclaimer: I have been called a sell-out for visiting Seaworld. Yet, despite my love of 'The Cove' documentary, I knew Grant would love Seaworld and to be honest, I do things mainly for him.

Thanks to Dora and Diego, Grant is very proficient at maps. He was obsessed with his map and kept stopping to point out the next thing we needed to see - he was a very confident cartographer.

Grant's favorite part was feeding the dolphins - he had absolutely no fear. He also rode his first roller-coaster and I can already tell that many, many roller-coasters are in my future. He literally yelled 'Whoo-Hoo!' during the entire ride!

Grant is such a push-over for people walking around in dress-up suits. He immediately ran over to Shamu and gave him a big hug before getting his picture taken.

I was a little nervous about taking Steph and Mark to Kiddie Park. They loved it but also noted that it could never survive in Dallas because parents would be too uptight! It's funny because Brad's mother had her 4-year old birthday party at Kiddie Park and the rides are still the same!

Grant and Olivia on the flying saucers. Olivia looks so grown-up - she wasn't quite as impressed with the rides as Grant and Jack were, which made us laugh.

After lunch one day we found the best cupcake place ever! Grant and Jack were hilarious. They enjoyed it more than any of us - and were very intent on getting every last bite.

All in all, it was a great trip! As with children, it was tiring and had it's share of melt-downs (some very public and quite embarrassing - thank you Grant Ray Herridge) yet it was worth it - just more memories with the Bowlin family, some of our favorite traveling companions :)

spring break trips

Seems like the past few weeks have been so busy! At just the right time, Brad and I were able to go as sponsors on our youth/college spring break trip to Winter Park, CO. It was a much needed change of scenery and getaway. I also remembered how much I love skiing and I can't wait till we can teach Grant. Going on a trip with youth and college is always fun - lots of card games, lots of junk food, lots of learning new lingo and what is cool right now. It's also very tiring - I think I'm just now rested up.

Brad and I met 12 years ago on a spring break skiing trip with a bunch of Baylor friends. It was fun to remember our first real conversation - on a ski lift! Sadly, if you compare a picture of us then and now you can tell its been 12 years!

There was a lot of this while Brad tried snow-boarding for the second time. Blake and I just laughed and laughed - then convinced him to turn in his board for skiis so we could actually enjoy the mountain.

I don't know how you can go to the mountains and not just take a huge internal sigh of rest. Beautiful.

While we were skiing, Grant was on his own spring break trip to the Herridge's. I think he made out just fine!

our turn

We finally got our turn today! The snow was falling when I woke up this morning and continued all day. It was the perfect early birthday present because we had so much fun playing in the snow that for a little while, I got to feel 10 instead of 31!

enough

It snowed for just a brief time last week. The words to "Blessed Be Your Name" have been on my mind this particular month. When I looked at this picture, the starkness of winter with a reprieve of something beautiful, it reminded me of those words yet again.

birthdays

turning one

turning two

now three years old!

Hard to believe that tomorrow will mark three years since Grant was born. I had no idea what was coming my way...absolutely no idea how my heart would just open up the second he was born. I want to write about all the joy he has brought me, all the memories contained in three years and yet words can't seem to form. He simply captured my heart and I'm a goner.