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Baby Blessing

Friday night, my way-too-kind friends threw me a "baby blessing." Unlike a shower, where the focus tends to be the soon-arriving baby and opening gifts, a blessing is more for the mother--a time to honor her and share thoughts, blessings, encouragement, bible verses with her to help her prepare for all the changes that are about to take place. Much like the one I had when I was expecting Jude, this blessing was so special and something that I will always remember and treasure.

Cheryl was our gracious hostess and she did such a great job organizing and planning everything. She knows my love for appetizers as meals, more specifically--DIPS! I am a chips and dip girl all the way so she had several of our friends bring all manner of dips and chips and crackers and veggies. There were sweet dips. There were savory dips. I was in dip heaven!



She even made these cute little signs for each dip. She has a craft room now so I would expect nothing less of her ;)



And check out this cake!




Cutest cake EVER and it tasted just as good as it looked. A delicious cake that incorporates my obsession with monograms--what more could I ask for?

And lest you think the food was the highlight of the evening, rest assured it was my amazing circle of friends that gathered to encourage me and bless me as I prepare for Simeon's arrival. I wish I had my camera out earlier so I could have gotten pictures of everyone! But here are a few of the incredible women in my life...

Me and Cheryl (aka Hostess with the Mostess)



Kathy, Bethany, Me, and Chris. We are all the moms of 3 yr. old boys and are living to tell about it ;)



Laura and I (we are due just 2 days apart!)



Jenny and I (we are having our lovely scheduled c-sections exactly one week apart)



And me and my mom (who my readers probably know better as Mamaw)



Another special aspect of a Baby Blessing is the bracelet. Each woman there strings a pretty bead onto a bracelet and the mother gets to take it home and wear it as a reminder of all the prayers and support that she has, especially during her upcoming delivery. I have one from my Blessing for Jude and was looking forward to the one I would receive at Simeon's and joked with Cheryl that I needed a "retroactive" one for Asher since I didn't have a Blessing for him. So my talented friend from church made a beautiful bracelet for me to represent Asher and then all the women there assembled another really pretty one for Simeon's birth.



The main event at a Baby Blessing is the time set aside to go around the room and share words of blessing and encouragement with the mom. The guests are asked to bring their written blessing as well and they are assembled into a blessing book. This is the cover of mine that Cheryl made.



And here are a few of the pages.



The whole evening was so incredibly special. We have been so blessed in our community to have the opportunity to throw several Blessings lately and each one always ends up being a beautiful reminder of the importance of the circle of women God has placed in each of our lives. As I said that night, the women gathered there (and a few others that couldn't make it) are my "village"--the ones that help me in more ways that I could count as I live out my journey as a believer in Christ, as a wife to Kris, and as a mother to my 3 boys. I can't do it alone. I need these women. And this night made it so clear, once again, that I don't have to. Blessed indeed.

Sneak Peek

We had family pictures taken last week. The photographer sent me a little sneak peak. Can't wait to see the rest!

Cravings

I've never really had pregnancy cravings. I just want to eat and eat. Pretty much everything sounds good and I find that the things I really like taste even better when I am pregnant.

To me, a true craving is something that you would typically never eat but that you cannot get enough of during pregnancy. Like turnip greens or spam or garden soil. If you hear a pregnant woman say, "I'm really craving chips and queso!" what she means is "I am in a phase of life in which I intend on eating whatever the heck I want because I am going to get fat anyway so get me some chips and queso right now and don't even think about giving me any lip about it because I am surrendering my body to grow this child so the least you can do is let me enjoy my fried corn and melted cheese in peace." I mean, who doesn't love chips and queso? When do you ever hear "Ugh! Chips and queso sounds like a horrible idea. No thank you!" Uh...you don't.

That being said, I have a current food crush that I am not quite prepared to label a "craving" but that I can honestly say has never appealed to me before and possibly will never appeal to me again.

Meet the Pickle Pack.



Excuse me...pak. It's picklicious.

Allow me to explain. A few weeks ago I was at HEB and I purchased some lunchmeat from the deli. It just so happened that that day, with purchase of lunchmeat, one received some deli cheese and one indivudual picklepak cup free. I'm not a big pickle eater, but it was free so I took it. And a few days later, I saw it in the pantry and decided to eat it with my sandwich.

And I have never looked back! That picklepak was amazing. Little-bitty kosher pickles (served at room temp, never refrigerated I have learned) have become a staple of my diet. Are my hands and feet a little puffy from the extra salt that my new pickle habit has introduced into my diet? Yes. Do I care? No.

So while I don't consider my beloved picklets a craving, I will say that I am glad I was pregnant when I discovered my love for them because it makes it seem so much more acceptable. Regular girl walking around with a little plastic up full of mini-pickles--weird. Pregnant girl doing the same thing--makes total sense. I could even have an ice cream cone in the other hand and no one would think twice.

Pregnancy. You get fat but no one dares question your food choices. I shall enjoy my last few weeks of this.

Lovest Thou Me?

Me: Judah, do you love Mama?

Jude: mm-hmmm. And Daddy. And Addie.(Asher) And Ninie.(Simeon) And Nonny.(Thomas) And Peh-pee. (Percy)

Project Lemonade

This is what I have dubbed our backyard beautification project. It's a bit of a lemon back there. But not for long. As I have stated previously, this is the summer of embracing what we have and making it work. As you can tell, Jude is totally on board.

Step one was the planting of our little garden. I am so pleased to report that we have a tiny little pepper on one of the plants and the squash and tomatoes are beginning to flower.



Step 2 is creating some sort of patio or deck. That is still in the works. We're trying to decide what we want and what will be most cost-effective. I'm leaning towards a low wooden deck--a little more visually pleasing than just a plain concrete slab and probably a little less expensive. But since I will not be the one doing the work, it's not really my call. I serve in more of an advisory role.

Step 3 is putting up the canopy/gazebo thing we ordered. This will be placed over our hypothetical deck. Now, I must tell you, I have a very accommodating husband. There is very little the man will not do for me and do for me with a cheerful, willing heart. But I may have found his limit.

This is the hardware that came in the box for the assembly of the canopy.



He is not pleased.



But he gets to work anyway. Because THAT'S the kind of guy he is!



And that's basically it. Project Lemonade is modest in scope. We have the baby pools happening and Kris has the wood to build the sandbox. We have the boys' little picnic table out there and some outside toys. They are already having a blast.




Take this afternoon for example. As Kris was cutting out the canopy from its ridiculous amount of packaging, Asher and Jude were splashing around the baby pool and running through the sprinklers. What could be more fun, right?



Let's hear it for cheap plastic baby pools! Woo-hoo!

Blue Skies/Smiling at me

Items For Your Consideration

Item #1: My goals for today (and there are exactly 2 of them)...laundry (including the weeding out of superfluous items that bog down my laundry productivity but might be useful to someone else) and going to the grocery store.

Item #2: When I change Jude's diaper, I always say, "P.U.!" (or is it "pee-yew"? or "pea-you"?) So he has started saying, as soon as I lay him down to change him, "ahhhh-peeee!" I realize this is not that funny to anyone else, but it's one of those little things I want to remember so into the blog it goes. He's hit that point where his vocabulary has exploded. He'll tell me something and all I can think is "when did you learn that word?" My favorite right now though is his "yes sir" which sounds like "yeeehhhhh-shore."

Item #3: I am 30 weeks as of Saturday. When anyone who has children over the age of 15 asks me how far along I am and I give my answer in weeks, they look confused. So I have to quickly divide my weeks by 4 to give them an answer that will make sense to them. So when did that shift occur?

Item #4: I am 30 weeks as of Saturday. This means that in a little over 9 weeks I will, Lord willing, give birth to Simeon James via c-section. Not my preference to say the least, but at least I will be able to sit afterwards. It's sad when that is the only nice thing I can say about it. It's a tough sell--"Hey! Ok, I'm going to cut you open, staple you back together, separate you from your baby during a crucial bonding time, and then expect you to care for 3 kids 3 and under as you recover from major surgery. Sound good?" Perfect.

Item #4: I am 30 weeks as of Saturday. I had an ultrasound this week and from his profile, he looks more like Asher's us pictures. He kicks. A lot. Really hard. Which would make him more like Jude.

Item #5: The term "begs the question"...I feel this is being misused a lot these days. My understanding is that it is a logical fallacy used to describe an argument that is circular in its reasoning or that assumes the conclusion as part of the premise. But I hear people constantly using it as though it means a question that should be asked in response to whatever statement was just made (i.e. The dog got hit by a car which begs the question "Why was the dog not in the backyard?") Is this just one of those usages that has become conventional and accepted or should I start calling people out on it in a really conspicuous and humiliating way?

Item #6: I haven't eaten at Jason's Deli since Thursday and I'm really hoping that Kris will be up for dinner there tonight.

Item #7:

These are the new "Going to Mamaw and Poppy's House" backpacks. I really want to get their names embroidered on them but since the Elmo one will probably become Simeon's within the next year or two I guess I will refrain. Do you think the urge to get your children's names embroidered on everything they own is a sickness?

Jamie, Jamie, Quite Contrary

Ok, it doesn't really rhyme but it still works, no?

So we have planted a garden. A very small garden. Our garden is currently the cradle of tomatoes, squash, peppers, and I think maybe cucumbers. I can't really remember exactly so it will be a nice surprise when whatever that last plant is bears its fruit, as it were.

Our friend from church, Scott, who is an expert on all things soil, seed, and gardening related helped us plan out everything. So if it all comes to nothing, I will have someone else to blame, which is how I like to live life. Always have someone to point a finger at when things go badly. I may stitch that on a sampler.

So step one was to spend a lot of money on dirt.



Check.

Step two, Kris built 2 boxes--one 6x2 box for the tomato plants and one 4x4 for everything else. Check.

Step three was to prepare the fallow ground.



Kris dug down about 6 inches inside the boxes and then mixed up all the various soils with the dirt that was already there. So we have about 12 inches of growing depth. I would have helped him, but I have really pretty, soft, delicate hands that just aren't cut out for manual labor.

But don't think that I just abandoned him to do all the work alone. That would be so inconseiderate! No, I stepped up to the plate and hired a few workers to help him ge tthe job done.





They worked hard for a while.



But then an impromptu concert broke out and the water hose became a microphone.



I guess you get what you pay for. Oh well. At least he puts on a good show.



So now the little plants are nestled in their new dirt homes. We planted, we are watering, and we are waiting on God to give the increase!

I will blog again one day

But for now, enjoy my new favorite picture (because Jude is actually SMILING!)

25 Weeks

Breath-taking, I know. Yeah, and see that little thing on the floor in the background. Not my friend.

Little Simeon James is doing well. I don't have a date yet, but he will most likely be ripped from the comfort of his current home some time during the 39th week. So we're looking at about 14 more weeks, during which I fully anticipate gaining my usual 50 lbs. I had high hopes this time around, but alas, I am who I am. You can't fight genetics. Well, I guess you could by eating totally healthy and continuing to work out but who's got the energy for that?

And the award for "Best Mamaw in the World" goes to...

Asher and Jude's Mamaw for her work on the Fun Slide! Upon seeing Jude's disappointment as Asher and Daddy made their way up, Mamaw took control of the situation and made sure the little man did not get left out of the fun.

This and much more merriment was made at the Nederland Heritage Festival. Nederland is a small town near where my parents live so when I heard that their festival was going on, we decided to check it out last weekend with Mamaw and Poppy.

I think the boys favorite part was the petting zoo. Dirt and germs--of course they loved it.








I have a policy about avoiding rides that can be set up in a day, but decided to make an exception for the bumble bee ride. It seemed relatively safe and Asher really wanted to ride it. He had a blast of course.



We capped off the day with a ride on the carousel.



Rides, festival food (which included, but was not limited to, funnel cake, various meat on a stick, and fried oreos), and a petting zoo. Do we know how to live it up or what?

Best Friends Since 2008

As we eagerly await the arrival of the 3rd amigo (I started to write "stooge" but "amigo" sounded more positive) I can't help but reflect on the past 20 months. Asher and Jude have developed the perfect brotherly bond during that time. The are rough with each other, they yell at each other, they play made-up games together, they annoy the heck out of each other, they have to know where the other one is at all times, they laugh together, they play music together. I'm so glad they have each other and I'm so glad Simeon has such sweet brothers to show him the ropes.



They've been playing together all morning. The older they get, the more "reffing" I have to do. I struggle to let them play rough--they are boys after all. They are not wired to sit peacefully all the time and play nice, quiet, orderly games. So I try to let them have their "boy" fun, but rein them in before someone gets injured.



It's a delicate balance.

Judah Kristopher at 19 Months

My tiny newborn turned 19 months on Feb. 28. It goes without saying that, with Asher, I kept much better track of developmental milestones and what all he was doing at certain ages. So it is high time I jotted down a few things that Jude is up to these days.

--He weighs about 30 lbs. He's a big boy but is getting so tall. I counted 5 arm fat rolls on his 9 month picture and now we are down to just 2. He's wasting away and we are all concerned.

--He's very communicative but is a man of few words. Nodding gets him where he needs to go. He says Mama, Daddy, Asher, Mamaw (Muh-mie), Poppy (Pa),LOVEY (of course), banana (nana), apple, milk (ni), water, cheese, chicken (chih--usualy referring to Chickfila) book, bible, bubble, shoe,fish, yucky (gucky),crackers, cookie, {please, thank you, more, and all done (signs and says a version of the words)} various Sesame Street characters...probably more but that's all that's coming to me now.

--He follows really complex directions which amazes us because Asher did not seem to be able to do this as soon. If we tell him to go find something, even if it is in another room, he will usually go look for it and retreive it.

--A fit thrower! Oh my word. But we don't put up with that foolishness here. I get down on his level and tell him to stop or he is going to his bed. He either a) stops, b) continues the fit and gets put in bed for a few minutes, or c) stops but still asks to get his lovey and go to his bed.

--He loves Thomas the Tank Engine and Percy. Thankfully, he has recently started calling him something that sounds more like "thomas" because for a while he called him "daddy."

--He goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 and wakes up between 6:30 and 7:00. And there is no chilling out in his bed for awhile. As soon as he wakes up, he is yelling "MAAAMAAAA" or "DAAAADDDDYYY."

--He loves to wear underwear (Thomas of course--over the dipaer, sometimes over his clothes)and always asks to "tee-tee" in the potty. We've set him on there a few times and he never goes. He just likes the idea. I am in NO RUSH to potty-train him at all. We will stick with the diapers until much closer to 3.

--He answers the first question of the Children's Catechism (Who made you? God.) very clearly and the next 2 somewhat clearly. He loves to sing Doxology just like his brother and adds a very hearty "AAAAA-men" to the end. Amen is is favorite part of prayer to. We usually have to hold hands and do the "amen" part several times during the meal.

--Meals. A little more picky than I would care for. But I'm not wearing a name tag and this is not a diner, so you get what you get. The child weighs 30 lbs. so if he elects to miss a meal ot two, I say it's no biggie. He's a self-preservationist just like this rest of us--he'll eat when he's hungry.

--very into guitars. Whatever he picks up, he first holds it like a guitar and makea a strumming motion. very funny and a little weird.

--plays really well alone. he loves cars and blocks and Little People. Asher was strictly a block knocker-downer at this age but Jude will build towers.

--He and Asher have so much fun together. Asher orders him around and Jude is happy to comply. They get rough and rowdy and loud. There are no calm tea parties here.

Overall, he is a sweet little boy with a fiereceness about him. He is stubborn as the day is long but so lovable. He gives the best kisses that you always have to rub in (wet, but so sweet.) I am so thankful for him and the role he plays in our family. He is a great little brother and I'm sure will slide right into his place as a big brother, too.

My Life is a Concert

I'm Home

I have returned home from a lovely visit to Bend, Oregon. My good friend Victoria is days (minutes?) away from giving birth to two little girls! So my other good friend, Angie, and I decided to head up there and spend some time with her before life. changes. forever. (in the best way, of course.)



The day we were scheduled to arrive, Victoria's doctors decided that she should continue her bed rest in the hospital and to to take her off her anti-contraction meds. She was 34 weeks and the babies are both a good size, so we fully expected to be able to actually see the babies during our visit. Everyone was ready, especially this girl...



But alas, no babies yet. But we did get intimately acquainted with the birthing center at St. Charles Hospital and had lots of fun anyway crafting, playing games, and eating--basically what we would have done with her at home, but with lots of beeping and monitors.

The only time the 3 of us have hung out since the college/waiting tables days was for each of our weddings so it was so great to be able to spend some time together without one of us totally stressed out about a wedding! Of course, the stress of not knowing when the babies will come and how it all all go down was there, but other than that...;)

It was good to catch up but it is VERY good to be home. I would love to go back to Oregon because it truly is breathtakingly beautiful, but I think I will bring the whole crew next time!