Strawberry picking.

This morning we headed out with my dear friend Anna to pick some strawberries.  I was extremely excited because this is Leeland's 1st time picking. So exciting to see his reaction to new things, and seeing him get into so many more activities as he is growing up. And after I got home this afternoon and started thinking on it a bit, I'm pretty certain that this was my 1st time actually picking strawberries too. At least I can't recall ever picking before. Sad, huh?
Anywho, other than the fact that it rained yesterday and we got a little muddy, it was pretty perfect.  Leeland got into it, and had fun picking the berries off the vine and collecting them in his little red basket.  And of course the part he really liked was the fruit of his labor, literally. We were trying to take a few photos at the end, and he was munching away at the sweet berries before we headed out.  Of course picking the biggest berries in the box to eat. He's a smart one that kid!

 Now it's on to cleaning, chopping and storing all of these delicious strawberries! I do believe we have some tasty smoothies, and strawberry bread in our future! :)

Leeland is 2!

Over the weekend Leeland turned 2! Holy wow! We celebrated by going to the zoo on Friday (Leeland's 1st time going), and we had a small family birthday party on Saturday. His birthday party was "choo choo" train themed in orange and blue matching this birthday invitation we ordered from Etsy.  Leeland loves all things transportation-- cars, trains, airplanes, helicopters so he really really enjoyed it.  The menu was very NC, we had BBQ, slaw, baked beans, chips, fresh fruit, pasta salad, and of course I made cupcakes for my boy.  Along with some choo choo candy pops that I made with blue and orange candy melts and a candy mold I ordered from Amazon. Here are some photos from the party--

I think he had a blast! He was showered with gifts, enjoyed some really yummy BBQ, and of course lots of sweets with cupcakes and ice cream cones and candy.  You only turn 2 once!

Also, today he had his 2 year check-up at the doctor and he is a healthy growing little boy!  He weighs 26 pounds which puts him in the 25th percentile (up from the 15th percentile at his last appointment), and he is exactly 3 feet tall in the 85th percentile for height. 

Who knew?

Who knew that such a tiny person could take up so much space? We live in a quaint 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment.  We have about 900 square feet to ourselves and I'm pretty sure that calculation includes our balcony and closet spaces... the living space is much less.  We moved to this apartment when we were pregnant with Leeland in the Fall of 2009 from our 1 bedroom, 1 bath apartment.  Last year when we found out that we were expecting Hayden, and our lease was up in October, we couldn't afford to even look at upgrading to a 3 bedroom.  Apartment rates are through the roof currently-- I'm told that it's due to the high demand from foreclosures.  Not to mention, with Daniel's schooling and a toddler and me being pregnant, we weren't exactly sure we had the time or energy to even try to move. 

So we were expecting #2, no big deal! And another boy, even better, they could share a room.  We set up the Pack & Play in our room knowing that he would be in our room for at least a few months, and then we would transition him to share a room with Leeland.  Leeland would transition to a "big boy" (twin) bed and Hayden would get the crib.  I cleaned out and organized Leeland's current dresser and closet to contain Hayden's clothes as well, it was going to work out perfect! .... Right?

The walls are closing in around me!!! Literally.  Now that Hayden is here, we pulled the baby swing out of storage, we have a car seat coming in and out of the house, a baby bath tub taking up the counter in the 2nd bathroom, a bouncy chair, we moved the glider from Leeland's room into the living room...... and the list goes on. Oh and please let me add, the Pack & Play in our room next to the bed-- we already had furniture on all four walls, with the Pack & Play added to the mix, I literally have 8 inches to squeeze through to get to our bathroom. Ugh!!

I feel terrible and I feel SO incredibly selfish complaining about our space.  There are so many people who are making do with much smaller spaces and larger families.... and there are so many people that don't even have a space.  But we are out growing this place.  The walls are closing in around us.  Leeland doesn't have room to run and play, I don't have room to breathe.... it just doesn't make any sense that this tiny tiny person could push us out this place.

Dying Easter Eggs

Yesterday, Leeland died Easter eggs for the 1st time! And come to think of it, it's Daniel and I's first time dying Easter eggs together as well.  We waited until close to bath time to do it because we knew there was a big chance it could get messy.  We also put a disposable diaper on him, and no other clothes (not risking dying one of my fancy cloth dipes. Haha!) And of course, we kept everything outdoors on our balcony.  Leeland had a lot of fun! He liked to dip the eggs in all of the colors, making some new interesting colors-- we thankfully only had 1 egg turn out brown. And he also insisted that the eggs, be in dye at ALL times, when Daniel and I would declare one finished and put it back in the carton, he would pick it back out and throw it in another color.  It was a lot of fun! See here:

Free Cone Day.

 Today is Ben & Jerry's free cone day!  They essentially give out 1 scoop of ice cream per person, you choose a cup or a cone and they have buckets for you to make a donation to charity.  My understanding is that they choose different charities each year, though I'm not really sure.  This year, the money was going to the local Children's Museum. 

Free cone day lasts from 12-8 at our local Ben & Jerry's but there's always a wait and a long line, so I wanted us to get there early to try to avoid that.  Getting there early, essentially meant that Leeland was having ice cream for lunch.  For the record, we have never substituted a meal for ice cream or cake or any other sweet before, so this one time, I didn't think it would hurt.  Plus, I have to admit, it was kind of fun breaking the "rules".  This may become a yearly tradition for us!

Leeland made a TOTAL mess, so I just have to share a few photos from our lunch.  We had a blast!!! And bodies and clothes can be washed, so I wasn't bothered by the mess. 

What if?

It wasn't until I became a Mother did I ever worry about, "what if something happened to me?" I'm not talking about the after-life or what will happen to me, because I happen to believe in a wonderful Savior and I know there will be a party in Heaven.  What I am referring to, is what happens to those around me?  More importantly, my children.  You see, I'm kind of a control freak when it comes to my children-- I don't get away from them much and when I do, I definitely don't leave them for long.  It's not that I don't trust people, I just want things done my way and to ensure that, I do it myself. 

I find myself worrying often about who will raise the kids, what big events I will miss in their lives (graduations, weddings... etc.)  I do many of the household chores that involve the children such as washing their diapers and clothes.  At one point in time, I had even considered writing down exact instructions of how to wash and care for their diapers for Daniel just in case.

To many, this sort of anxiety may seem extremely unusual and really quite morbid, but for me it's very real.  My Mom passed away just before my 8th birthday.  She had breast cancer.  She missed many of the big events in my life, and sadly because I was so young when she passed, I really don't have a whole lot of memories of our time together.  Many of the times that I do remember are when she was sick. 

With all of that said, I recently started journaling to the boys.  I have two leather journals- 1 for each of them.  I'm just filling the journals up with memories, and essentially letters to them.  I date each letter and end them with an "I love you."  My hope, is that when I am gone from the Earth, it can be a reminder to them of how much they mean to me.  It will be filled with the memories that they themselves may not remember for being too young, or too much time passing. I don't write in their journals everyday, but they do contain some milestones, and funny stories.  The hope is that when they are of age, I will be able to give them the journals myself, but if something happens, Daniel will pass them along and I hope that they will cherish each and every letter from the past.

The norovirus taught me.

If you read my germs post, it seems that we just can't catch a break around here.  What we thought was just a 24 hour bug that Leeland had, turned out to be norovirus.... And we all got it.  Here's a totally TMI list for your entertainment of what the norovirus has taught me.

1. If one person in the family gets it, we all get it.  We would like to think that little Hayden was spared from the virus, but honestly he spits up and poops all the time as it is so how would we know if he had it?
2. We need softer toilet paper.
3. A 3rd crib sheet would be a great investment for times like this when I'm constantly washing messy sheets.
4. I should chew my food more. (Yea, I went there.)
5. In reference to #2, Desitin is not just for babies and works well for adults as well.
6. Sleep is the best healer.
7. When Mom is out of commission, it takes a toddler approximately 15 minutes to completely demolish the living room.
8. You can mix Pedialyte with ANYTHING, including milk should your 2 year old scream and beg for it.
9. Pedialyte is not just for children.
10. Our house is due for a MAJOR disinfect of germs.

Germs.

2 1/2 weeks before Hayden was born, Leeland came down with a pretty terrible cold.  I happen to think that it was one of the worst ones he has had in his short (just under) 2 years.  It lingered around forever.  He passed it to me-- 2 weeks before Hayden's arrival, I was put on antibiotics for a sinus infection.  It was terrible.... Being sick and pregnant.  I can't even describe how miserable I was feeling.  It mostly cleared up in just enough time for Hayden to make his big entrance.  Leeland's cold however was still lingering and by this time, Daniel had caught it himself, and I had a lingering cough.  3 of us sick with a newborn.  It was inevitable for Hayden to get sick.  At 9 days of life, I rushed him to the ER because he was so congested and having a hard time breathing.  He was diagnosed with RSV.  I spent 2 nights in the hospital with him while he (his oxygen mostly) was being monitored.  Once we were released from the hospital, Leeland's cold started to get better. Now it was time for Daniel, Hayden and I to get over it.  Slowly Daniel and I started to get better.  Then Leeland came down with a stomach virus-- thankfully just a 24 hour bug, but there was lots of throwing up, and several loads of laundry done.  The next night (after Leeland was better) Daniel got the stomach bug-- only his was a little more than just throwing up. 

Now Leeland is better, I am all better, Daniel is getting over his stomach bug (but mostly better), and Hayden still has some lingering mucus from his RSV but is doing much better.... It's been hit after hit for a month and a half.  We have NEVER dealt with this many viruses/illnesses.  My only guess is that it has something to do with Leeland being much older and having lots of play dates, and subsequently he is at an age where he is actually playing WITH other children. I'm so exhausted and frustrated with all these germs we keep passing around.  All I have to say is....

Welcome Spring!

Please be kind to us!  

1 month breastfeeding.

www.asustainingbond.org

 Tomorrow marks Hayden being 1 month old! I feel like I want to dance that we've made it a month, because it has been quite the adjustment and then a part of me feels sad that it went by so fast in such a blur.  I will say with great excitement and enthusiasm that breastfeeding this time around has been much easier!

With Leeland we had latch issues.  He would scream and scream and be ready to eat, but we had the absolute hardest time getting him to latch to the breast.  The couple days we spent in the hospital, even the nurses had difficulty getting him to eat.  I was sore, blistered and bruised because even if he had a bad latch, I would leave him, so that he was at least getting something.  Once we got home from the hospital, he went a span of about 8-10 hours without eating.  I called the hospital and because all lactation consultants are anti-anything but the breast, they suggested me pumping a little and giving him breast milk from a medicine dropper.  The boy was starving, it wasn't helping, he was screaming and wanted food.  I made the executive decision to pump a bottle and give it to him.  He was hooked.... hooked on the bottle, and not me.  We exclusively pumped for at least 3-4 weeks and he eventually started heading back to the breast with the help of a "nipple shield."  It was hard work-- a newborn as is, is hard work.  At about 3 months, I was beyond exhausted. I had worn myself out, been with him ALL the time, asked for no help..... I went through Postpartum Depression.  Lost my milk supply and became even more devastated. I mean, I couldn't even feed my own child-- I called myself a horrible mom, I felt embarrassed that I had failed at breastfeeding.  I felt embarrassed that I had depression. I was miserable. 

www.asustainingbond.org

Having such a terrible time the 1st go at breastfeeding, I was nervous about how Hayden would do.  So far, Hayden has fed like a champ.  He latched to the breast within 30 minutes of being out of the womb and hasn't stopped much since. (Haha!)  I remember Daniel saying at the hospital that was one of the things he had prayed about-- bless him.  Daniel had such a rough time watching me try and try to feed Leeland, not to mention hearing him scream.  He had even jumped in and was helping me try to get him latched. (Wonderful hubby!)  Praise the Lord, this time has been easier.  The only blister I have gotten this time was sadly from my breast pump (wrong size shield) and was all better within a couple of days.  Hayden has had only 3 bottles since being born (breast milk in them), and he has transitioned back to the breast after having the bottle with great ease.  He is showing some signs of reflux, Leeland had GERD as well when he was young so it wouldn't be surprising, but it could just be since he has been sick.  It has been a much different experience this time!  I still wouldn't venture to say that breastfeeding is easy, but it's nice to know that it can be easier.  I'm loving this special time with the little dude even though it does take a lot out of me right now.  The goal is a year, but I'm trying not to get stuck on it with my past and knowing that anything could happen.  And I'm also being hopeful and optimistic that we could potentially make it over a year.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

From Saint Patrick's Breastplate...

Christ be with me
Christ before me
Christ behind me
Christ in me
Christ beneath me
Christ above me
Christ on my right
Christ on my left
Christ where I lie
... Christ where I sit
Christ where I arise
Christ in the heart of every man
who thinks of me
Christ in the mouth of every man
who speaks of me
Christ in every eye that sees me
Christ in every ear that hears me

Salvation is of the Lord.

 

 

Hayden's birth announcement.

I discovered a really awesome shop on Etsy.  It's sara luke creative and she sells all kinds of neat invitations and announcements.  We ordered Hayden's birth announcement from her last week, and then loved her stuff so much, we also ordered Leeland's birthday invitations from her.  (Because next month we'll have a 2 year old.)  So I already posted Hayden's cute newborn pictures, so here's the adorable announcement!

Target Parking Lot Fail.

This week has FLOWN by!  For real.  I am officially the Mother of 2 and this week has had it's ups and downs.  Leeland and I have both had colds this week, and Daniel has been busy studying for a big exam he had today.  Hayden has jaundice and our week has been filled with doctor's appointments and home visits by nurses to check in on him.  I'm not entirely sure what I expected as far as becoming a Mother of 2.... I know I didn't expect it to be easy, but I don't think I calculated added stresses of sickness to the mix. 

Anywho, today we got out of the house for something OTHER than a doctor's appointment.  We needed some baby supplies and a few other random items, and I had a coupon to Target for $10 off so that's where we headed. (Not to mention, I really just needed to be out of the house.) Leeland was in the cart and Hayden was wrapped snug in the sleepy wrap I'm borrowing from a friend.  Hayden slept the whole time in the wrap and Leeland chatted my ear off about everything he saw in the store and said hello to all who passed us by.

Then we get out to the parking lot.  The weather here in NC has been nuts!  We got 3 inches of snow this past Sunday and then yesterday and today it has been in the 70's! Weird.  But also there is a thunderstorm rolling in supposedly for later this evening, so today it is WINDY-- I mean, really windy.  So we get out to the car and I get Hayden out of the wrap and buckled into his car seat.  Then I'm loading our bags into the car and I drop the bottled water that I bought.  If you have ever breastfed before, you know all about the incredible thirst you get when you're nursing.  I mean, I could drink a lake and still be parched. For real!  So when my water bottle went rolling under the car, no matter how far it rolled, I was going after it.  I needed it that bad!  So I load the rest of the bags and lay down on the nasty parking lot and start looking under the car.  Thankfully, it stayed under my car and didn't continue through the parking lot to somewhere else.  I finally reach the water and am feeling pretty good about myself....  Then I stand up to see that the wind is blowing Leeland away in the cart across the parking lot.  So I sprint across the aisle and capture the cart with Leeland and start to get him in the car.....

Then I hear a car start-- there was a lady sitting in her car next to mine, waiting to pull out this entire time.  I was totally holding her up with my doors open and with the cart and with the rolling around the ground to retrieve my water.  So embarrassing!

Well, now that I got that "make a fool out of yourself as a 1st time mom of 2" experience out of the way, we can all move forward and I continue to learn how to juggle these boys.

Preparing for Hayden

I was beginning to wonder when the infamous "nesting" instinct would kick in. I've felt pretty sloth-like for the past month or so.  Kicking back and napping when I can squeeze one in.  I mean, absolutely no motivation to do anything.  The past 2 days though, I have really been checking things off of my list.  I'm not entirely sure that it's nesting, or if it's just trying to be productive to pass the time while Daniel is out of town-- either way, it's exciting to have a little extra energy, to feel accomplished, and to be a productive member of society. So without further ado, here are the things that I have accomplished:

• My car was inspected... and passed.
• Also, my leaky flat tire that I have continued to put air in about twice a week for the past month has now been patched.
• Made a few exchanges at Babies R Us, and picked up the last few things I feel like we need for Hayden.
• Put together our fancy new stroller-- our "sit-n-stand tandem stroller".  Exciting!
• Put away all of said baby items that were purchased and items from the baby shower which pretty much meant re-organizing Leeland's room entirely.  It took an hour and a half to find the proper homes for each thing, trying to make the room make sense and make the necessary items easily accessible. We live in a 2 bedroom apartment currently so the boys will technically be sharing a room.... or at least their stuff will share a room for now because Hayden will be in the pack and play in our room for a few months. 
• Washed all of the laundry in the house, including all of Hayden's new "itty bittys".  
• Washed, organized and put away all of Leeland's cloth diapers.  (Another area that needed re-organizing was the changing table to make room for Hayden's cloth diapers.)
• Packed the bag for the hospital! You know, THE bag.  Like my stuff, Hayden's things, change of clothes for Daniel.  All that's left is the last minute toiletries that I'm currently using.  
• Wrote out thank-you notes from the baby shower.  We were so incredibly blessed and I truly don't feel like a little note or just saying thank you is enough, but hopefully they appreciate it. 
• Visited the local Baby Boutique today and got the last of the diapers necessary for Hayden.  
• Washed and prepped all of Hayden's diapers.  Cloth diapers have to be washed 3-5 times before initial use-- it's cleaning the natural oils out of them, and fluffing them up, somehow making them absorbent.  
• Vacuumed out my car.
• Installed Hayden's car seat in the car.  Holy wow!  That's a wake up call, and quite a visual, seeing TWO car seats in my tiny car!
• Cleaned out the trunk.

All very exciting things!  Happy to have checked all of these things off of my list-- I can officially say that I am ready for this baby.  I'm not entirely sure why it took so much more time this pregnancy to get to that feeling of "ready," but I'm happy that we've gotten there.  I've moved away from that point of anxiety and fear of having two children.  There's peace now.  Now it's just waiting for him to decide when he wants to come.

Doc Update.

Since I ranted and raved about being sick and upset with my doctor's office yesterday, I thought I should probably post about how today's appointment went.  Sure enough, it is believed that I have a sinus infection, so I was written a prescription antibiotic. I'm still a little weary about all of these medications and being pregnant but they have assured me that everything is completely fine to take.  Not to mention, on the back of my mind is the fact that labor is coming soon, and I really need to do what I can to try to feel 100%.  It really would be no fun to go into labor feeling weak like I do now.  So hopefully, I'll be feeling a little more perky soon enough.

In other news, I'm also currently 2 centimeters dilated!  So funny to me too.  Going into my 36 week appointment last week, I just KNEW that I was going to be dilated or have some sort of crazy progress-- I thought that I had been having a few "real" contractions along with my braxton hicks... When they checked me last week, I was completely closed.  Nothing.  I'm not gonna lie, I had gotten my hopes all up and I was a little disappointed, but 36 weeks is still early.  So going into today's appointment, I thought I had a few contractions the other night, but I have just been so sick that I really have just been in all kinds of achy pain all over, so I wasn't sure.  And since I was closed last week and really didn't feel much different this week, I just assumed it'd be another check of nothing.  I kind of didn't believe the doctor when she said 2cm.

It's definitely exciting to have made some progress but I'm not holding out hope that they baby is coming this week or anything-- I walked around 1-2cm dilated when I was pregnant with Leeland for about 4 weeks.  It's all just numbers.  It is comforting to know though that when the time comes, I only have 8 to go instead of 10.

Thank you to all who have covered my health and wellness in prayer! We SO appreciate you!  I am going to continue to rest, get better, and prepare for labor.

37 weeks

Today is February 1st which means it's birth month... maybe.  Technically they say that the baby could come anytime 2 weeks before the due date or 2 weeks after and 2 weeks after would put us into March so we shall see.  But for now, I'm thinking that this is birth month for our little Hayden. 

We are currently 37 weeks pregnant and I have some bad news/frustrations that I need to vent and I have some really awesome news.  Maybe I'll start with my rant so that we end on a good note and I end in a better mood.  Hopefully I don't bore you.

So this past week I have been pretty darn sick.  Leeland got sick 1st, he woke up Friday morning with just a snot nose and no other symptoms.  Honestly since it has been such a mild Winter and we've had very Spring-like weather here lately in NC, I thought that maybe it could've just been some allergies.  That is until I woke up Sunday morning with a snot nose and sore throat-- darn those irresistible toddler kisses that Leeland and I frequently exchange!  On Monday I called my OB office to tell them of my symptoms and ask them if they could bump my appointment up from Thursday so that I could be looked at- I was feeling pretty miserable.  Sore throat, runny nose, congestion, and a fever off and on.  The nurse told me that I should try to take some specific medicines and if that didn't clear things up in a day or so then to call back.  After I started taking the decongestants, I started to feel a little less pressure in my head on Tuesday and felt like things were draining and I was doing better.  Then last night I was up literally every 30 minutes blowing my nose with no end in sight, coughing my head off to the point that I couldn't breath and having serious night sweats.  I was miserable-- we went to bed around 11pm, I continued to wake up and wake up and finally at 4am, I was in pain, couldn't breath and was wide awake.

So after that rough night last night, I called the doctor's office as soon as they opened this morning to see if they could see me today rather than tomorrow-- in my head I'm thinking that the medicines they suggested aren't working and what if I'm dealing with something more serious like strep throat or a sinus infection.... and I have been super concerned about Hayden.  I haven't really been comfortable with the meds they told me to take and he hasn't been moving around as much, partly because I'm sure he's running out of room, but I bet it also has something to do with me being sick.  I called them at 930am and they said a nurse would call back..... 2 hours later I called again and was told that they were probably backed up and that they had to return "emergency calls" 1st and would call back.  At 1pm, when I put Leeland down for a nap, I laid down too.  I woke up at 330pm to find that I still hadn't received a phone call.  I'm sure there were some labors or some emergencies that they had to tend to before getting to me, but 6 hours?!  I called again, and once again the receptionist tried to shrug me off.... I started to cry... cry bad... I was beyond frustrated, I'm miserable, I can't breath, I barely have a voice, which makes it very difficult to keep a toddler in line.... I can't stand that my situation did not matter to them-- they continued to assume, "oh she just has a cold", rather than listening to my legitimate concerns, fears and pains.  I don't know that it's just a cold, I don't know that the sweet little boy I'm carrying is ok, I'm calling because I feel like I need to, don't disregard me!  With all of that said, it was too late for me to come in today and they suggested I bump my appointment up for tomorrow-- I was supposed to go in at 130pm, and instead will be in at 1015am.... and I do plan on letting them know that I don't appreciate the level of care I'm receiving.  No person deserves to be treated so poorly, not listened to, and skipped over.  If someone is calling a doctor's office, they are calling for a reason!  I don't call the doctor's office just to have a friendly chat, I call when there is a legitimate concern or need!

Ugh!!

Now to the good news!  Things are REALLY coming together for the birth of Hayden!  I am SO excited to tell you that the dream birth that I never thought I would have is coming into fruition.  Going into this pregnancy I had heard from a friend of mine that our local Women's Hospital is now allowing waterbirths-- you just have to bring your own birthing pool.  After watching several documentaries and hearing the birth stories of friends, I knew this was something that I was interested in-- which is why I switched OB offices to work with the midwives where I am currently going.  Daniel and I were required to attend a waterbirthing class before delivery if we were going to do it-- we went to the class back in December.  After leaving the class, we were very discouraged, and pretty much immediately ruled out my dream of the waterbirth.  The birthing pools are super expensive, even to rent them.  And it's not an expense that we can afford before the baby is born.  Also they said that it would be best to have a pool attendant to help keep the temperature right in the water and to help break down the pool after delivery.  At our local Women's Hospital, you deliver in one set of rooms/section of the hospital and then within an hour or so, they move you to the "mother/baby unit" for recovery and rooming in with your child the rest of your stay.  They said it was important to break down the tub within an hour of delivery.  Going into the class, I hadn't thought about an attendant and assumed it would just be Daniel and I in the delivery room, but I don't want him to miss out on bonding with Hayden because he's breaking down the tub. 

I felt a little embarrassed that I had raved about this waterbirth idea to friends and family for a while and now suddenly it wasn't going to be possible.  I kept silent about it.  Who wants to admit that they can't afford to have a natural childbirth? Then about a month ago, some friends had been posting blogs and labor stories and all sorts of encouragement related to waterbirths on my Facebook wall-- I finally broke down and replied that it wasn't going to happen for us and explained the reasons you see in the above paragraph.  The next day, I got a call from my friend saying, "Do you want to have a waterbirth?"..... Well of course.... but I can't.... to which she told me that she had already worked out all the details.  She had a pool from another friend that I could use, it just needed a liner (which later was donated by someone else, in exchange for donor breast milk.... awesome sequence of events), and I would need a hose to fill it up which she offered to buy for me as my baby shower gift.  She also had already contacted a Doula friend of hers who was willing to work with me for free.  Throughout this phone call I was nearly in tears at the grocery store.  I couldn't believe that not only she had gone out of her way to make all this possible, but also that things were falling into place, and that others were so giving.  I truly feel blessed to have these wonderful ladies in my life!

So we're now potentially 3 weeks out from having a baby and I am getting super excited about the birth of our second baby boy.  I hope to have an awesome birth story to share with you all once it's all said and done. 

Now I must go back to my resting, and trying to kick this virus.  I've already went through one roll of toilet paper on my nose.... Please keep me in your prayers that this virus leaves my body before I go into labor... because... well... I'd like to be able to breath while I'm in labor. :D

Toy storage bags.

I have become obsessed lately with blogs that have DIY projects and tutorials.  Since I have been staying at home with Leeland, I have found myself with a little extra time to actually craft and make things for our home, and also with the cut in an income, it makes a lot more sense to come up with sensible budget friendly solutions when there is a need around the house.  One blog that I have found in the past few months and I really enjoy is Make It and Love It.  I have discovered some really cool projects (mostly children related) that have pinned and plan to come back to later, and there is one that I have already made that I would like to share with you.

Just before Christmas, I did some serious cleaning out of Leeland's toys and wanted to do some organizing in preparing for Christmas.  I knew that Daniel and I hadn't gotten Leeland much, but I knew that Leeland has Grandparents, and cousins, and Aunts and Uncles that were going to spoil him.  (And they did.)  One of the things that I was struggling with was that I knew he was going to get several sets of blocks for Christmas and also several puzzles which would need to find a home.  At a perfect time, a tutorial was posted for some clear vinyl storage bags over on Make It and Love It.  You can find the full tutorial here. 

So far I have made 5 of them-- 1 large bag for Leeland's "Mega Blocks", and 4 of them for puzzle pieces.  Each puzzle has a bag of pieces.  He still has several more puzzles so I would like to make a few more. 

I must say that I found the tutorial REALLY easy to follow and once I got the hang of the 1st one, they were super quick and easy to whip up.  My OCD kind of wants to get annoyed at the fact that there is SO much room in the puzzle ones, I probably could've made them a lot smaller, but I just have to say that I was slightly limited by the size of the mixing bowls that we have.... Because, you know, I can't draw a circle, so I traced mixing bowls. I found the vinyl on sale 50% off at Joann, so I paid $3.00 for a yard and still have a ton, and all of the fabric I had on hand already.  I did purchase some little plastic cord pulls to secure the bags, but I later returned them.  I think that I made my drawstrings a little too thick, and my cord pulls were too small so I couldn't get them to fit.  It still works as a drawstring bag without those though. 

Christmas Festivities:

We were unable to go to Michigan this year for Christmas (much of Daniel's family lives there) because Daniel didn't get enough time off work.  He only got Saturday through Tuesday and since we typically drive, 2 days are spent traveling there and back. (About 13 hours in the car one way.) It was nice to celebrate and enjoy my family's typical traditions that they do here, but I really did miss getting away.  Looking at the calendar prior to Christmas weekend, I was feeling a little overwhelmed and like we had overextended ourselves.  It's so easy to get caught up in all the festivities, and subsequently not truly be able to worship and celebrate.  Here's what our weekend looked like.....

Friday December 23rd

 Praise God that my Brother-In-Law is home safely from Iraq!  We were so excited to have him back on this side of the pond, AND home to celebrate Christmas!  Friday night was spent at my in-laws celebrating his return.  While he was in Iraq, he missed his birthday and Thanksgiving so we had a Thanksgiving dinner re-do with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato pie... And I baked him a birthday cake.  Of course we also had to celebrate Christmas in there, so Leeland and his little cousin got to open all of their Christmas presents.  My in-laws left the next morning for Michigan which is why the babies got to open their gifts a bit early.

Saturday, December 24th

Christmas Eve morning we had another couple over that is friends of ours for breakfast.  They of course brought Leeland a gift-- cute little track suit pictured below.  And they even got Daniel and I a little something which was unexpected and super sweet of them.  I made breakfast, I made this breakfast casserole and this french toast recipe.  Both of them SUPER easy, I prepped both ahead Friday night and baked them in the oven that morning. 

Saturday evening we went to church.  The Christmas Eve service was PACKED!  It was such a sweet service though, with what seemed like lots of extra singing which was totally fine by me-- the band at church is always wonderful and singing Christmas carols with a packed house is just magical.  After the service, we went to my Granny's house for some yummy food and for Leeland to yet again open some more Christmas presents.  

After my Granny's house we were headed home to play Santa, or just simply put the gifts that had been wrapped and hidden in our room for several weeks now under the tree.  

Sunday, December 25th-- CHRISTMAS!

Christmas morning we woke up and got Leeland up to open gifts.  We had a minor issue with my fancy camera and all of our Christmas morning photos had to be taken on my iPhone.  I was quite bummed!  We left the camera out in the car on accident the night before-- when Daniel walked the dog, he brought it in.  It was pretty chilly out that morning and when he brought it in the lens got all fogged up.  I wiped and wiped and it kept fogging, it took about an hour to "defrost" and of course Leeland was not waiting to open his presents. 

After we opened up our gifts and our stockings, it was time to head to my parents house.  Their tradition is a big Christmas morning breakfast-- bacon, sausage, biscuits, gravy, pancakes, eggs.... MMMM, I'm starting to drool just thinking about it. And of course there was more presents.


Once we were done there, we were free to celebrate as a family.  We came home and took naps with new PJ's on and then got up and had some dinner.  And cake.  Our new tradition this year is a "Happy birthday Jesus" cake-- an excellent way to teach the boys a bit more about the meaning of Christmas. 

And that my friends is our Christmas in a nut shell with some photos.  The past 2 days since Christmas have been all about family time (taking advantage of Daniel's time off work), cleaning, organizing and trying to figure out what to do with all these presents!  Our little man really racked up and got far more than he could ever need or want.... kind of makes me nervous about next year with 2.  Hope you and your families had a great Christmas!